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Spoken English · Guides · October 30, 2026 · 8 min read

Business English: phrases for meetings, emails, calls and presentations

Colleagues talking around a table with laptops in a bright office

Business English is the English you use at work: in meetings, emails, phone and video calls, presentations and negotiations. It is not a different language. It is ordinary English with three extra habits: you are polite but direct, you use a few fixed phrases that everyone recognises (Let’s get started, Please find attached, Can I just come in here?), and you soften anything that could sound rude (Could we…? instead of Do this). Below are the phrases you need most often, grouped by situation, with short dialogues and the mistakes learners make most.

How to use this guide: pick one section, say every phrase out loud, then use two or three of them in your next real meeting or email. A phrase you have used once at work stays with you much longer than a phrase you have only read.

Meetings

Starting a meeting

Giving your opinion

More direct Softer
I think we should… I’d suggest we…
In my opinion… From my point of view…
I’m sure that… I’m fairly confident that…
That won’t work. I’m not sure that would work, because…

Agreeing and disagreeing

In business, people rarely say No or You’re wrong directly. I’m not sure about that or I see it a bit differently usually means a clear “no”, said politely.

Interrupting and asking for clarification

Ending a meeting

Dialogue: a short team meeting

Maria: OK, let’s get started. The main thing today is the product launch date.
David: I’d suggest we move it to May. The testing isn’t finished.
Maria: I see what you mean, but marketing has already booked the ads for April.
Sara: Can I just come in here? Could we launch in April with a smaller group of users?
David: That’s a good point. A soft launch would give us time.
Maria: Great. So, to sum up: soft launch in April, full launch in May. David, could you send round a plan by Friday?
David: Sure, no problem.

Emails

Openings

Situation Opening
Formal, you don’t know the name Dear Sir or Madam, (rare now) / Hello,
Formal, you know the name Dear Ms Lee, / Dear Mr Brown,
Neutral, most work emails Hi Anna, / Hello Anna,
Replying Thanks for your email. / Thanks for getting back to me.

Saying why you are writing

Requests

Attachments, follow-ups and apologies

Closings

A sample email

Subject: Meeting on Tuesday: new time?

Hi James,

Thanks for sending the agenda. Would it be possible to move our meeting on Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm? I have a client call in the morning that I can’t change.

I’ve attached the sales figures we discussed, so you can look at them before we meet.

Let me know if 2 pm works for you.

Best regards,
Elena

Phone and video calls

Starting the call

When there are problems

Ending the call

Dialogue: a quick call

Elena: Hi Mark, this is Elena. Is this a good time?
Mark: Yes, sure. What’s up?
Elena: I’m calling about the delivery. The client wants it two days earlier.
Mark: Sorry, you’re breaking up a bit. Did you say two days earlier?
Elena: Yes, by Wednesday instead of Friday. Is that possible?
Mark: It’ll be tight, but I think we can do it. I’ll check with the team and get back to you this afternoon.
Elena: Perfect. Thanks, Mark. Talk soon.

Presentations

Opening

Moving between parts (signposting)

Talking about numbers and charts

Closing and questions

Negotiating

The pattern If you can…, we could… is the heart of polite negotiation: you offer something in return for something.

Common mistakes

Practise business English out loud

Reading phrases is the easy part. The hard part is producing them in real time while someone waits for your answer. Try this:

  1. Choose one situation: a meeting, a call or a short presentation.
  2. Write three phrases you want to use on a sticky note.
  3. Speak for two minutes about a real project, using all three.
  4. Practise with someone who asks follow-up questions.

The conversation linked below this article opens the Team meeting room on Nomto: you pitch an idea to Nomi and the team, answer a question about it, and after each reply you see a corrected and more natural version of what you said. For the first minutes of a new job, see self introduction in English, and for the interview itself, Tell me about yourself. Related: phone conversation in English, expressing opinions in meetings and Indian English phrases that confuse international colleagues.

FAQ

What is the difference between business English and general English?

The grammar is the same. Business English uses more polite forms (could, would), more fixed phrases for meetings and emails, and vocabulary for your field.

What level do I need for business English?

You can start at B1. At that level you can handle routine meetings and emails; B2 and above helps with negotiations and presentations.

Is “Dear” still used in emails?

Yes, in formal emails and first contact. With colleagues you already know, Hi or Hello plus the name is normal.

How do I sound more professional in English?

Use full, polite questions (Could you…?), avoid slang, keep sentences short and clear, and summarise decisions at the end of meetings and calls.

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