English Lesson: "What a coincidence! I was just about to call you."

“What a coincidence! I was just about to call you.”

A friend who you used to work with calls you. You were thinking about this friend earlier today, so you mention this when you answer the phone.

What a coincidence! I was just about to call you.

A "coincidence" is when something that seems unlikely happens. Here are some examples of coincidences:

You're vacationing in another country, and you run into one of your friends from college who's on a vacation there as well.
You check your account balance at an ATM, and the amount of money in your account is exactly equal to the year that you were born.
Three movies come out in the same season which are all based on the same children's story.

When something coincidental happens, you can say:

What a coinclidence!

Use this expression to talk about something that you were planning to do next. For example, at work:

A: Hey, are you busy?

B: Actually, I was just about to leave. What do you need?

This expression is useful in situations where you're a little bit late doing something:

A: Hey, can you send me those sales projections?

B: Yes, sorry. I was just about to do that.

This makes it seem like you were already planning to send them soon, even if this person didn't remind you.