Ace Your Business English: Practical British Business Vocabulary for Daily Use
- Claire Hayward
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Understanding British English in a British workplace is paramount if you want to initiate, follow and respond in conversations. Learning vocabulary in a textbook is great to learn meanings but for real world usage there are other phrases you may hear instead. Below you will learn some practical terms and phrases used daily in UK offices.
Office Essentials – Business Vocabulary You Hear Every Day
Below is a list of essential office words you need to know along with a definition and example sentence to show you how to use it.
Deadline - the latest time/date for something to be completed.
The deadline for the project is 28th May at 12pm.
Brief - a short amount.
We had a brief 10 minute meeting yesterday.
Touch base - to keep in touch in colleagues/clients.
Let's touch base in a month and catch up.
Heads-up - to inform someone of something.
I will give you the heads-up when I have spoken to the client.
On track - making good progress towards a goal.
We are on track to complete at the end of the month.
Follow up - an action after an initial meeting.
I will send you a follow up email after the meeting.
Sign off - to give approval for something.
The manager needs to sign off on the budget.
ASAP - as soon as possible.
I will give you feedback ASAP.
In the loop - to be kept informed on something.
Please keep me in the loop on any updates.
Actionable - any feedback or information that can be acted on.
Thank you for the actionable suggestions.
Take a look at the following Ace English blog for more Business vocabulary.
Meetings & Communication
Learning some very common British vocabulary to include in your meetings and communications with colleagues and managers is very important for you to sound natural and allow the conversations and meetings to flow. Have a look below at some common phrases, including meanings, example sentences and when to use them.
Let's circle back - to return to a topic or task later.
We don't have time to cover that question now - let's circle back in our next meeting.
Common during meetings.
Take the lead - to be in charge of a task or project.
Could you take the lead in the presentation?
Common to use for colleagues to empower, be positive and show initiative.
Run it by me - present/show something informally for feedback or review.
Before you send it to the client, can you run it by me?
Best used with people you have good respect and bond with; informal.
Quick catch up - a short discussion to discuss updates quickly.
Let's have a quick catch up after the meeting.
Used to schedule short discussions.
Take this offline - Discuss something privately or outside of a main meeting.
Good point - let's take this offline and discuss it separately.
Polite way to move a discussion to outside the main meeting.
On the same page - in agreement or understanding.
Let's make sure we're all on the same page before we move forward.
Useful to keep togetherness in teams.
Kick off - to start a meeting/event/project.
We'll kick off the project next Monday.
Common at the beginning of meetings and projects.
Action points - specific tasks assigned after a meeting.
Let's go through the action points before we finish the meeting.
Often discussed at the end of meetings or in follow up emails.
Also see our other Ace English blog, nail your next meeting presentation.
British-Specific Business Slang & Idioms
It is common in British offices to use slang and idioms to express different moments throughout the day. Below I will explain some slang which is used daily in offices throughout the UK.
Crack on - get started and continue working quickly.
We've got a tight deadline, let's crack on.
Great for motivating teams.
Give us a bell - call me.
If you've got any questions, give us a bell.
Friendly and very informal, use for familiar colleagues only.
Bits and bobs - a few small things or tasks.
I've got a few bits and bobs to finish before I leave this evening.
Casual, informal, used in everyday conversations.
Have a natter - to have a casual chat.
Let's have a quick natter over lunch.
Very informal, used for colleagues you spend time with at lunch, outside of work, team building.
Throw a spanner in the works - to cause disruption or cause unexpected problems.
The supplier's delay threw a spanner in the works.
Often used when plans go wrong, used in discussions and meetings.
In a bit of a pickle - in a tricky or awkward situation.
We're in a bit of a pickle with the delivery schedule.
Light-hearted way to describe a problem, informal.
The above slang is to be used with colleagues, in meetings and informal discussions about work. They are NOT to be used in formal situations such as emails, meetings with high authority people or with clients.
Email Etiquette and Everyday Expressions
It is important to understand email etiquette when in an office workplace because you want to sound professional, polite and natural. Have a look at the below vocabulary to help you write polite and professional emails.
Opening:
Dear Sir/Madam,
To whom it may concern,
Body:
Please find attached ...
Per our conversation, ...
Just following up on ...
Closing:
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
Try to avoid being overly direct, this is not a British way of communicating. We always try to overuse words like 'sorry', 'please', in order to put politeness as a priority.
Have a look at the following Ace English blog, write winning business emails.
To conclude, it is paramount to learn the real world vocabulary you'll hear native British speakers use in the workplace, this will help with your listening skills but also help you to increase your knowledge and speaking skills for you to sound as professional and natural as possible.
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