Strong business English helps you communicate clearly with colleagues, clients and partners around the world. Here is some essential vocabulary for common workplace situations, plus tips to build your professional English.
Meetings
- agenda: the list of topics for a meeting (Let's move to the next item on the agenda.)
- action points: tasks agreed in a meeting
- to follow up: to take further action (I'll follow up with the client tomorrow.)
- to put forward a proposal: to suggest an idea formally
Emails
- I am writing to enquire about…
- Please find attached…
- Could you let me know…?
- I look forward to hearing from you.
Negotiations
- to reach an agreement / to find common ground
- a compromise: a solution where both sides accept less than they wanted
- terms and conditions: the details of an agreement
- Would you be willing to…? / We could consider… if…
Presentations
- I'd like to start by…
- Moving on to…
- As you can see from this chart…
- To sum up…
Numbers and results
- revenue, profit, turnover, budget, forecast
- to increase / rise / grow and to decrease / fall / drop
- Sales rose by 10% in the last quarter.
How to build your business English
- Learn phrases, not single words, so you can use them naturally.
- Read business news in English and note useful expressions.
- Practise real tasks: write emails, give short presentations, role-play meetings.
- Pay attention to tone: business English is usually polite and indirect.
Study business English with ILC
Our specialist English courses and one-to-one lessons can focus on the English you need for work. For a recognised business qualification, see our Level 4 Diploma in Business Management.
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