商業英文 (Business English) | 10 Useful Phrases for Work

Do you want to speak better English at work? Many people in Taiwan study 商業英文 (Business English) to get better jobs and talk to international clients. Whether you work in 台北 (Taipei), 天母 (Tianmu), or 士林 (Shilin), knowing business phrases can help you every day.

In this article, you will learn 10 useful English phrases for the workplace. These phrases are simple but powerful. Let’s get started!

Why Study 商業英文 (Business English)?

English is the most common language in international business. If you work at a company that talks to people in other countries, you need English. In Taiwan, many companies look for workers who can speak 商業英文 (Business English) well.

Learning business English is different from learning everyday English. At work, you need to be polite, clear, and professional. The words and phrases you use at a meeting are different from the words you use with friends.

Many students go to an 英文補習班 (English cram school) or take 成人英文 (adult English) classes to learn these skills. But you can also start learning right now!

10 Useful 商業英文 (Business English) Phrases

1. “Nice to meet you.”

This is the first thing you say when you meet someone new at work. It is simple but very important. You can also say, “It’s a pleasure to meet you” to sound more formal.

2. “Could you please…?”

When you ask someone to do something at work, use “Could you please” to be polite. For example: “Could you please send me the report?” This is much better than just saying “Send me the report.”

3. “I’d like to follow up on…”

This phrase is used in emails and meetings. If you talked about something before and want to check on it again, you say: “I’d like to follow up on our last conversation.”

4. “Let me get back to you.”

If someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer right away, say this. It means you will find the answer and tell them later. This is better than guessing!

5. “I appreciate your help.”

Saying “thank you” is good, but “I appreciate your help” sounds more professional. Use this in emails or after a meeting when someone helped you.

6. “What do you think about…?”

Use this to ask for someone’s opinion in a meeting. For example: “What do you think about this plan?” It shows you respect their ideas.

7. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

If you didn’t hear or understand something, say this. It is polite and professional. Don’t say “What?” — that sounds too casual for work.

8. “Let’s schedule a meeting.”

When you need to talk about something important, suggest a meeting. You can say: “Let’s schedule a meeting to discuss this further.”

9. “I’ll take care of it.”

This means you will do the task. When your boss asks you to do something, saying “I’ll take care of it” shows you are responsible and confident.

10. “Looking forward to hearing from you.”

This is a great way to end a business email. It is polite and tells the other person you are waiting for their reply.

How to Practice 商業英文 (Anglais des affaires)

Reading about these phrases is a good start, but you need to practice using them. Here are some easy ways to improve your 商業英文 (Business English):

• Write practice emails — Try writing a short email using 2-3 of the phrases above.
• Practice with a friend — Role-play a business meeting with a classmate or coworker.
• Listen to business podcasts — There are many free English podcasts about business topics.
• Read business news in English — Start with simple articles and learn new 英文單字 (English vocabulary) each week.
• Take a class — Look for 商業英文 (Business English) courses in your area, especially in 天母 (Tianmu) and 士林 (Shilin) where many language schools operate.

Common Business 英文單字 (English Vocabulary)

Here are some important words you will hear often at work:

• Deadline — the last day to finish something
• Agenda — a list of things to talk about in a meeting
• Feedback — comments about your work (good or bad)
• Client — a customer or person you do business with
• Proposal — a plan you suggest to your boss or client
• Budget — how much money you can spend
• Invoice — a bill you send to get paid
• Negotiate — to talk about a deal until both sides agree
• Collaborate — to work together with other people
• Presentation — a talk you give to a group, often with slides

Start Using Business English Today

You don’t need to be perfect to start using 商業英文 (Business English). Pick one or two phrases from this list and try them at work this week. The more you practice, the more natural it will feel.

If you want to learn more, check out our other articles on 18K Anglais. We have lessons on 英文單字 (English vocabulary), 成人英文 (adult English learning), and more!

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