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When I was in toilet, I heard someone knocking on the door. I should have said something but all I could do was knock back the door. Are there any set phrases or expression often used when you answer back to someone outside the toilet door?

P.S. I found an expression “Someone in!” in an old English book for Japanese. Is it an usual expression? Is it obsolete?

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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it really belongs to Stack exchange Interpersonal Skills
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 4, 2018 at 8:59
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    Seems like a possible (good) fit for ELL (this is not an official request to migrate, just saying). I answered a similar question here: You are in a toilet and someone knocks on the door. What do you say to him so that he won't enter?.
    – Em.
    Nov 4, 2018 at 9:07
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    Knocking back is the cultural convention in Japan - not so in the Anglosphere. Clearing your throat should deter all but the most insistent knockers. (And "Someone in" does sound odd, for what it's worth. Better expressions are given in the answers.)
    – tmgr
    Nov 4, 2018 at 12:46
  • I would generally just say "Occupied!"
    – Hot Licks
    Nov 4, 2018 at 13:05

4 Answers 4

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I answered a similar question here: You are in a toilet and someone knocks on the door. What do you say to him so that he won't enter?

"(It's) occupied" was the first thing that came to my head. Another casual response is

  • Just a minute.
    (Note that this is not a literal minute, but a request or notice for an additional moment.)

You mentioned "someone's in". It's understandable, but I think the most common expression is "occupied" as mentioned previously. On a similar note, you could say

  • Someone's in here.
  • I'm in here. (If the person outside knows you, for example.)

Honestly, even a grunt, "uh", or some similar interjection can suffice.

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    +1 – “Someone’s in here!” is what I’ve always heard. Nov 4, 2018 at 10:08
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The next time, you can say:

It's occupied!

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Hahaha...to be fair, a lot of native English speakers don't even know what to say. @Wallblues has provided the most appropriate phrase -- It's occupied! or just Occupied!. However, I think I more commonly just hear yeah or yup, as if the person is answering the question "Is anyone in there?".

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Just make a sound for example a small cough.

It is highly recommended not to speak in toilet.

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    Why...…….…....?
    – WS2
    Nov 4, 2018 at 9:30
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    @WS2 Maybe because the other end is the one doing the talking? ;-) Nov 4, 2018 at 12:04

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