Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[yoshi-pooh]

Hi,

Is is appropriate to say "I'm afraid you have a wrong number", when you talk on the phone?

I think you normally say, "You have the wrong number", but I thought it can be OK to say, "a wrong number".

Thank you,

Yoshi-pooh

[CP]

Everyone says "You have the wrong number," or "Sorry, wrong number." If you realize that the person answering is not the right person, you might say, "Sorry. I think I have the wrong number." When you make a mistake and someone asks you about it, you say, "Oh, I dialed the wrong number."

You would think "a wrong number" should be all right in these situations, but no one really says it that way.
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