Business English Expressions, Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Hi and welcome back to Love English in today's  lesson business expressions idiomatic expressions   and phrases today i want to share with you 30 of  some of the most common expressions you're likely   to hear in a working professional environment now  it's important to remember that these expressions   aren't exclusively used in a business environment  you can use them in a general day-to-day english   too so whether you are looking to boost your  business English or indeed just your English in   general all of these expressions are going to come  in useful i'll be sharing with you the expression   the idiom and of course examples of how you  might hear them being used both in a professional   business environment and in general day-to-day  english now as with many of my 50 this and 30 that   lessons i like to leave the last one to you so  i'll be sharing 29 expressions and i would like   you to share number 30. comment below and share  your expression your idiom that you think we might   hear used in more professional environments  so without further ado let's get down to business now heads up if you'd like to learn more about  sabre and me then don't forget to check out our   social media instagram facebook and even tick tock  and of course if you want to stay on top of your   english then don't forget to click that subscribe  button and of course the notifications bell   to make sure you are notified of when we upload  new lessons so are you ready let's get down to   business 29 expressions and idioms that you can  use commonly in a business work environment but   also in day-to-day english number one you've  just heard me use it and that is to get down   to business to get down to business essentially  we use this expression when we want to focus   on a topic on the business at hand we want to  avoid small talk and dealing with unnecessary   things and focus right now that everyone's  here let's get down to business the best way   to market our new product number two if you  give somebody a heads up you're informing them   or even warning them in advance essentially so  that they can prepare themselves for something   heads up the vice president is coming in tomorrow  to inspect the offices so make sure you get things   in order we can even use this expression in day to  day english heads up sarah's in a right mood she   didn't pass her driving test so it might be worth  avoiding her for a bit now these next expressions   all include the word ball so hopefully you'll be  able to learn these a little quicker number three   to get the ball rolling to get the ball rolling  essentially it means to begin to start something   in order to make progress often in advance of  when you actually need to be doing something   to make progress before the implementation of a  project right why don't we get the ball rolling   and have an early meeting tomorrow i really think  it'll help us get our heads around the project   there's a nice extra expression to get your head  around something meaning to understand it better   and even in general english this can be used  come on we need to get the ball rolling why   don't we organize a meeting there's no  sense waiting around for things to happen   right number four to be on the ball yes on the  ball this is figurative it's not literal you don't   need to be standing on a ball but essentially if  you describe a person as being on the ball you're   talking about them being aware of trends methods  and new ideas essentially they are very aware of   what is going on so in a business environment it  is very important to be on the ball to keep up   to date with the latest products news related to  your industry maintaining contact with customers   is vital if you want to stay on the ball it's also  a great expression when we use it to talk about   a person essentially when we say that someone  is on the ball we're describing them as being   intelligent sabra a girl like that she's really on  the ball now if you keep your eye on the ball then   you are keeping focus focus particularly on a goal  keep your eye on the ball and you won't miss out   it's so important to keep your eye on the ball  otherwise things can really go wrong right number   six to pull it off here we actually have a phrasal  verb one that we can use in business or indeed   in day-to-day english if you pull something off  then essentially you succeed in doing something   difficult or unexpected perhaps if you are asked  a question that you weren't prepared for he wasn't   prepared to be quizzed on the subject but he  pulled it off and managed to think on his feet   and answer correctly have you heard about  the surprise party jack's planning for sophie   i'm really not sure if he's got enough time  to pull it off now number seven to catch up on   something we all know that when we talk about  catching up with someone we're referring to   meeting up with them and discussing what they've  been doing recently in their lives however when   we talk about catching up on something we're  referring to most often work a phrasal verb that   refers to doing something that you have not had  time to do recently or not been able to do i have   been so busy with meetings today i really need  to catch up on my emails meaning i need to answer   them sit down and read them carefully we can  even use this in day-to-day english particularly   when talking about a television series that we  regularly watch and perhaps have fallen behind   it's kind of the opposite here fallen behind  in the number of episodes that we've watched   oh i really need to catch up on a lucifer  brilliant television series on netflix i haven't   seen the recent episodes that they've shared so to  catch up on your favorite television series or to   catch up on work now number eight if we describe  something as being up in the air it is uncertain   we are not sure i'm planning on going on holiday  but things are a little bit up in the air with   covet at the moment so i'm not sure exactly when  or if we can definitely go in a work environment   in a business environment this expression is often  used to talk about projects about things that have   not been secured confirmed or decisions that  have not been made yet things are a little bit   up in the air at work at the moment we haven't  signed the contract so we're not sure if we can   take on more staff number nine to get up to speed  or for someone to get you up to speed or bring you   up to speed this is similar to catch up  on something essentially it means to have   the latest information on a particular project  a topic whatever it might be now that john's   joined our team we need to get him up to speed  so that he can help us with the newest projects   likewise we can also use this when talking about  netflix i really need to get up to speed on the   latest killing eve episode i've completely missed  the last two number 10 when talking about figures   that could be referring to money or people a  ballpark figure referring to a rough estimate   have you got a ballpark figure for how many guests  we're expecting tomorrow so i can order the food   or in a business environment you might hear them  refer to a ballpark figure in terms of money   we really need a ballpark figure for the costs  otherwise we can't go ahead now when you don't   know how an activity a plan that you have will  play out from a certain point essentially you'll   be thinking on your feet you'll be unsure  of how things are going to go you might say   let's take it from there let's take it from there  this is showing relative flexibility and the   ability to be spontaneous and not need everything  to be fixed and planned for example let's complete   the initial analysis of the project and take it  from there let's complete our market research and   we can take things from there number 12 you might  hear put off used very frequently but we can also   use push back to delay something why don't we push  back the launch of the new lipstick so that it   coincides with christmas so to push something back  often a date a launch of a product is to delay it   number 13 to move forward or to push forward  this is essentially when something is done   sooner than planned for example we've pushed  forward the meeting so that sabre can attend   number 14 a common collocation to tackle to tackle  a problem when we tackle a problem essentially we   face it head-on and try to resolve it to deal with  to confront a problem it seems too many people are   taking sick days at work we really need to tackle  the problem and find out why number 15 to get   the message across to get the message across  basically to make yourself understood well i think   you've got your message across loud and clear in  the meeting today it really went well now when you   want to ask someone's opinion of something you can  use this brilliant expression both in a business   environment and of course in general day-to-day  english what do you make of what do you make of   what do you make of her decision to sack him what  do you make of our plans to expand the business   what do you make of her behavior at the party  yesterday yes this is a great expression when   you want to ask somebody what do you think what do  you make of number 17 to be to stay or to remain   on top of something very similar to be on the  ball to remain or to be on top of something   is to be able to control to deal with a situation  successfully you need to be on top of the project   to ensure it succeeds she was really on top of her  studies she revised all week and passed the exam   number 18 a little bit more formal than some of  these expressions to address an issue to address   a problem to address something here we're using  address as a verb rather than address describing   a location where you live your offices whatever  it might be no we're referring to address in terms   of dealing with confronting something i think  it's time we address the issue of budget cuts   we're going to have to make some hard decisions  about who to keep on who to keep employed now   number 19 to think outside of the box this  is a great idiomatic expression that i'm sure   many of you have already come across you've  heard of this expression before when we refer to   somebody thinking out of the box we're referring  to creative thinking to think of ways solutions to   problems that perhaps others would not normally  think of to be original we really need to start   thinking outside of the box if we want to increase  profits number 20 to pull strings or to pull a few   strings this is a great idiomatic expression that  we can use in all kinds of situations so if you   pull a few strings you're using your influence  your contacts your connections in order to get   something done often it can be a little bit  unfair she pulled a few strings and got me an   interview at the company and guess what i got the  job number 21 to bite off more than you can chew   essentially an expression that means taking on  too much more than you have time or the capacity   to actually complete to do for example at work if  you really want to prove yourself if you're in a   new job you might say yes to everything your boss  gives you and essentially you're biting off more   than you can chew you're not able to complete the  work you're given this can be used in a business   situation and of course day-to-day english she  really bit off more than she could chew when she   said she'd babysit the five kids number 22 to  see the big picture essentially when you focus   on too many small details you don't see things  from a bigger perspective looking at all these   things in such detail we've really lost sight of  the bigger picture essentially we're trying to   improve customer service not scare them away 23  if you describe something as being above board   or not above board you're essentially referring  to how legal how appropriate correct something   is i really want to keep things all above board  and have a very clear record of funds coming in   i don't want anyone to accuse us of being bribed  24. to go the extra mile to go the extra mile if   you go the extra mile you are making a greater  effort to do something to succeed in something   he went the extra mile and spent three evenings  at work last week he really wanted to make sure   the project was completed she went the extra  mile and made dessert as well what a lovely   meal we had 25. these are your knuckles  and when you knuckle down to something   this is a wonderful colloquial informal expression  saying essentially you're going to work hard   she knuckled down and got her revision done we  really need to knuckle down and focus on the job   otherwise we're never going to complete the  project now often when you start a new job it   can be quite overwhelming there's a lot to learn  fast and when you hit the ground running you go   into that job with a great sense of motivation  determination and essentially you want to get   up to speed with things as quickly as possible  having full energy and focus wow she really hit   the ground running taking on those three new cases  she's definitely ready to work hard now 27 to be   thrown in at the deep end implies a sense of not  being prepared for the work that you have to do   if you are thrown in at the deep end referring  to water essentially are you able to swim in   the deep end then you're starting a new difficult  job without perhaps the help and support you need   i was really thrown in at the deep end  when they didn't give me a handover period   how was i supposed to know what work needed  to be prioritized 28 this is more american   a slice of the pie to have a slice of the pie or  to share a slice of the pie in british english   we might actually use cake instead to share a  slice of the cake essentially this is when we're   talking about the benefits of something the profit  perhaps we were so successful last week that some   of the staff were expecting a slice of the pie but  unfortunately their boss wasn't willing to give it   and finally number 29 the lion's share  the lion's share of something referring to   how much work you do in this case the majority  the bulk of the work my husband does the lion's   share of cooking at home well he is italian  in a business environment you might say   sabra did the lion's share of the work for the  presentation so she needs to take all the credit   so there we have it 29 expressions that you can  use in business and in day to day english do   comment below try using some of those expressions  and of course add your number 30. whether it's an   idiom a phrasal verb or an expression comment  below and share your favorite expression to   be used in business and in general english and  don't forget make sure you do subscribe and click   the notifications bell for more business  english lessons thanks for watching bye

Channel: Love English with Leila & Sabrah

Views: 18,482

Keywords: Love English with Leila & Sabrah, Love English with Leila & Sabrah YouTube, YouTube Love English with Leila & Sabrah, learn English, love English, English, English with Leila, English with Sabrah, British English, business English, English expressions, English idioms, English phrasal verbs, business idioms, business phrasal verbs

Id: FJS0sYuig6c

Length: 17min 7sec (1027 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 01 2021