Business English: Vocabulary, Listening, and Grammar
Essential Business Vocabulary
- Deal: Agreement
- Sales pitch: Presentation for a sale
- Retailer: Business that sells goods to the public
- Wholesaler: Business that sells goods to retailers
- Sales forecast: Prediction of future sales
- On behalf of: In the name of, representing
- To weigh: To measure the weight of something
- Chipped: Having a small piece broken off
- Loss: The state of no longer having something
- Empty: Containing nothing
- Full: Containing as much as possible
- Soft: Not hard or firm
- Wheel: A circular object that revolves on an axle
- Extendable handle: A handle that can be made longer
- Leather: Material made from the skin of an animal
- Zipper, zip: A device used to fasten clothes
- Car key: A key used to start a car
- Briefcase: A flat, rectangular case for carrying documents
- Laptop: A portable computer
- Bills: Invoices, statements of charges
- Customer service: Assistance provided to customers
- Technical support: Assistance with technical issues
- Insurance: Protection against financial loss
- Branch: A local office of a larger company
- Desktop computer: A computer designed for use at a desk
- Cash: Money in the form of coins or banknotes
- Credit card: A card used to make purchases on credit
- The receipt: A written acknowledgment of payment
Listening Practice 1: Task Completion
Listen to your bosses and note the tasks, deadlines, and completion dates.
- Boss No.1 Roger:
- Task: Design a new advertisement
- Deadline: By Friday
- Completed: On Wednesday
- Boss No.2 Jessica:
- Task: To phone a retailer
- Deadline: By Tuesday
- Completed: On Tuesday
- Boss No.3 Timothy:
- Task: To finish the sales forecast
- Deadline: By Wednesday
- Completed: On Monday before
- Boss No.4 Susan:
- Task: To show the new product design to the brand manager
- Deadline: By the end of the week
- Completed: The following Tuesday
- Boss No.5 Paula:
- Task: To prepare a sales pitch
- Deadline: By the end of the day
- Completed: Then
- Boss No.6 George:
- Task: To try to close a deal with a French client
- Deadline: By the end of June
- Completed: At the end of July
- Boss No.7 Pauline and Leicester:
- Task: To drop a list of improvements for the shop
- Deadline: By the end of the morning
- Completed: At the end of the afternoon
Listening Practice 2: Work Experience
Listen to the speakers and note their previous work experience.
- María:
- Company: Multinational
- Start Date: 5 years ago
- Role: Trained employees
- Duration: 4 years
- Moisés:
- Company: 34 V
- Start Date: 3 years ago
- Role: Human Resources Department
- Duration: 2 years
- Juan:
- Company: Supermarket
- Start Date: 10 years ago
- Role: Stocked shelves and did inventories
- Duration: 1 year
- Fernando:
- Company: Call center
- Start Date: 2 years ago
- Role: Customer complaints
- Duration: 3 months
- Paula and Dan:
- Company: Bank
- Start Date: 4 years ago
- Role: Information Technology Department
- Duration: 2 years
- Marcos:
- Company: Hotel
- Start Date: 5 years ago
- Role: Reception desk
- Duration: 1 year
- Laura:
- Company: Restaurant
- Start Date: 5 years ago
- Role: Waitress
- Duration: 2 years
- Mónica:
- Company: High school
- Start Date: 4 years ago
- Role: History teacher
- Duration: 3 years
- Nacho:
- Company: Laboratory
- Start Date: 6 years ago
- Role: Lab technician
- Duration: 4 years
Grammar: Used To (Past Habits)
We use “used to” to talk about past habits or states that are no longer true.
- Affirmative: Subject + used to + base form of the verb
Example: I used to go to the park when I was little.
- Negative: Subject + didn’t use to + base form of the verb
Example: I didn’t use to go to the park.
- Questions: Did + subject + use to + base form of the verb?
Example: Did I use to go to the park?
Grammar: Say, Tell, and Ask
Say
We use “say” when we report what someone said.
Example: I said it was very cold.
Example: It was big: I said it was big. No, you didn’t. You said it was small.
Example: It was interesting: I said it was interesting. No, you didn’t. You said it was interesting.
Tell
We use “tell” when we report that someone told something to someone else.
Example: I told her it was very cold.
Example: It was big: I told you it was big. No, you didn’t. You told me it was small.
Example: It was interesting: I told you it was interesting. No, you didn’t. You told me it was boring.
Ask
We use “ask” + object pronoun (me/you/him/her/us/them) + to + base form of the verb to report requests.
Example: Can you be by the cinema at three? She asked me to be by the cinema at three.
Example: Can you be by the post office at 2:30? He asked us to be by the post office at 2:30.
Tell
We use “tell” + object pronoun (me/you/him/her/us/them) + to + base form of the verb to report commands.
Example: Call customer service. I told him to call customer service.
We use “tell” + object pronoun (me/you/him/her/us/them) + not + to + base form of the verb to report negative commands.
Example: Don’t pay in cash. She told him not to pay in cash.
Activity: Ask Him/Her To
- Approach the customers: Can you approach the customers? I asked him to approach the customers.
- Promote the special offers: Can you promote the special offers? I asked him to promote the special offers.
Descriptions
Car Key
Above it’s broad, below it’s thin. Above it’s oval, and below it’s straight. It’s hard. Above it’s black. Above it’s made of plastic, and below it’s made of metal. It’s light.
Briefcase
It’s thin. It’s rectangular. It’s hard. It’s black. It’s plain. It’s made of leather. It weighs very little.
Laptop
It’s thin. It’s in shape. It’s hard. It’s dark blue. It’s made of plastic and metal. It weighs very little.