Is this ... speaking?

[Arcona]

Hello,

tonight I am going to call an american person, that I met a while ago, for the first time (on the cell phone).

I suppose the first thing this person will say is simply: Hello.
My answer would be: Hi, this is Anna.
To make sure if it is the right person I am speaking to (and not a brother or a friend) could I ask
Is this John? (this would be my first choice)
or Is this John speaking?
or Am I speaking with/ to John?
I don’t want to sound formal. How would you do it in the United States?

Thank you for your help.

 

[sdgraham]

Given the informality of the contact, any of your choices will work.

Note, however, that there are many common ways of saying this.

(We're not supposed to provide lists)

 

[Arcona]

Thank you for your answer.

 

[mathman]

Probably too late, but...

Anna is a pretty common name in the US, so I think it might be better to say "Hi, this is Anna [Deppendorf]." If there is a pause at that point, you might say "From Germany." If this elicits silence, you could say "Is this John [Smith]?" or "I'm looking for John [Smith] [who I met in Lüneburg when he was...]."

Hopefully, the response will be "Oh!Hi Anna!"...

 

[Parla]

Is this John? (this would be my first choice)

Your first choice would be my first choice.

 

[roxcyn]

Correct. If it's a man who answers, I would say that. "Is this John?" If someone else answers, I would say "May I speak with John?" or "Is John in?"

 

[Arcona]

Thank you all so much for your help. I am glad that I found this forum.

 

[Sepia]

@Mathman
"Deppendorf" ... nice name, when you know what it means.