How to Change Basic English into Business English

How to Change Basic English into Business English

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TRANSCRIPT:

Hi. My name is Rebecca from www.engvid.com. Today, you’re going to learn how to speak more professionally in business situations. Now, at times, it’s all right to use informal language. It’s acceptable in everyday situations. But there are times when you’ll want to create a more powerful impression. And at that time, you’ll want to be able to use business English. What’s the difference between general English and business English? Well, sometimes, there’s not very much difference. Sometimes, general English is used in business contexts. But sometimes, you use a higher-level word. And that’s what I’m going to teach you in this lesson. Let’s look at some really easy, common examples. For example, if you say — or if you want to say, “I got your email”, in regular English, you might just say, “I got your email.” What would you say if you want to make it business English? You would say — I’m giving you a clue. The word starts with R. Instead of saying, “I got your email”; “I received your email.” Okay? Now, it becomes more formal and more business-like. Suppose you want to tell someone, “I need your help” or, “I need some help.” What word could you use that starts with R instead of “need”? “Require.” So instead of saying — and you can also change more than the verb. The verb is the key, but you could say — instead of saying, “I need some help”, you could say, “I require some assistance.” Now, you’ve changed two words, the verb and also a noun. Let’s try another one. “Let’s talk about it later.” Which business word could you use? “Let’s discuss — let’s discuss it later.” That sounds much more professional than saying, “Let’s talk about it later.” Next one. “How do I get in touch with her?” What word could you use instead of that? “How do I contact her?” Okay? Good. “Please make sure you arrive on time.” Which business word could you use instead of “make sure”? “Please ensure you arrive on time.” “Please give her your travel plans.” Instead of saying “give”, you could say, “Please provide her with your itinerary.” There, we’ve changed another word. Instead of saying “travel plan” or “travel plans”, you could use the word “itinerary”. An “itinerary” is usually a piece of paper or a document that lists your travel plans, when you’re departing, when you’re arriving, where, when, and so on. “Please let them know when you will be arriving.” “Please let them know” — instead of that, you could say, “Please inform them of your arrival.” Okay? Good. “Please tell me why you’ve made this decision.” “Please explain your decision.” “Could you please talk some more about that subject?” “Could you please elaborate? Could you please elaborate on that.” Now, this is actually a very useful word if you go to a conference or a meeting and you want someone to speak some more about a particular point or issue. It’s a good, kind of, question to learn. “Could you please elaborate on that?” So “to elaborate” means to speak more or talk more, give more information. “How are you going to fix this problem?” Better than using the word “fix” is the word “solve”. “How are you going to solve this problem?” All right? So try to do that for every simple word that you know and basic word that you know in general English, try to find a slightly more formal version, which will be your business English word. And use these words in an office environment. If you’ve found this helpful, please subscribe to my channel on YouTube. And if you’d like to do a quiz on this subject, you can also go to our website, www.engvid.com. Thanks very much. Good luck with your English.

1. I got your email. – I received your email.
2. I need some help. – I require some assistance.
3. Let’s talk about it later. – Let’s discuss it later.
4. How do I get in touch with her? – How do I contact her?
5. Please make sure you arrive on time! – Please ensure you arrive on time!
6. Please give her your travel plans! – Please provide her with your itinerary!
7. Please let them know when you will be arriving! – Please inform them of your arrival!
8. Please tell me why you’ve made this decision! – Please explain your decision!
9. Could you please talk some more about that subject? – Could you please elaborate on that?
10. How are you going to fix this problem? – How are you going to solve this problem?