You're through

Outside North America, in English-speaking countries, the operator (telephone company employee) will tell the caller during an assisted call: "You're through." By that, he or she means that you have been connected to the number you were calling. Americans or Canadians would be nonplussed, and would probably hang up, thinking they had been disconnected.

Otherwise, saying: "you're through" would have the same meaning in context as it would in any other conversational situation.

Thank you very much for your prompt response. The only part I don't understand is this:

Otherwise, saying: "you're through" would have the same meaning in context as it would in any other conversational situation.

Would you please explain it further?

Thanks again for your kind help.

Well, I thought that would have been self-evident. The initial example I provided is the only one I know of in which the locution "you're through" is specific to a telephone conversation. Any other occurrence of that phrase would not be specific to a telephone conversation, but would occur exactly as it would in a face-to-face conversation, or in some form of written communication. The first example I provided has a special meaning, but otherwise, "you're through" would have whatever meaning it has in context in any form of conversation.

In American English, I believe 'through' used in utterances such as 'you're through' commonly means something like 'finished', whereas in British English, although we're aware of that usage because of films, TV, talking to Americans, reading their novels, etc, we don't commonly use it that way, unless perhaps to be ironic or jocular (e.g. pretending to be a Valley Girl). In a telephonic context it usually means 'connected'. A telephone (or "switchboard") operator in Britain may say "I'm putting you through to Bill Jones" or "You're through now, caller" etc, and nobody worries that they have been rejected, fired, dumped, etc. We don't much talk to telephone operators these days, and younger people may not know what they are (or were).

This is heard during a telephone conversation?

Really , you do need context when asking these questions!


"We're through" can mean a breakup of a relationship.
"You're through" could mean you have been fired from the job.

Through can mean "finished."

We have already established that it means that (in America).

It can mean "through". If I am drilling a hole in a wall, my workmate might shout "You're through!" when he sees the drill emerge on the other side.