Read the first pages of Business Vocabulary in Real Life A1–A2

Before you start

Welcome

Welcome! This book helps you learn the English words you need at work.

You know some English already. You can say hello, talk about your job and write a short email. Now you want more words, and the right words for work. This book gives you 240 new words and phrases. They are words that people use at work every day: in the office, on the phone, in emails and in meetings.

The book is for learners at A1 and A2 level. The sentences are short and clear. The texts are like real texts from offices around the world. You can work through the book from start to finish, or choose the topic you need today.

How each chapter works

Every chapter has the same seven steps. After one or two chapters, you’ll know them well.

Step	What you do
1 · Word set	Learn 10 new words and phrases. You see the level (A1 or A2), the meaning and an example.
2 · Words that go together	See which words go with the new words (exchange business cards, work from home on Fridays) and other forms of some of the words (employ → employer, employee).
3 · In real life	Read a short text from work: a chat, an email, a web page or a short talk. It uses all 10 new words.
4 · Check the meaning	Three short exercises about the meaning of the words.
5 · Use the right word	Four exercises. Use the new words in sentences.
6 · Say this, not that	Four mistakes that many learners make, and the correct English.
7 · Your turn and quick check	Write a short text. Then check how many words you remember.

Your score. The last exercise has ten sentences. You get one point for each correct answer. Is your score 7 or less? That’s OK! Read the chapter again in a few days, and do the exercise again.

Answers. All the answers are at the back of the book. Sometimes there is more than one good answer. Then a slash (/) shows all the good answers. For the writing task, there’s a model answer: one example of a good text. Your text can be different and still be very good.

Part reviews. After every six chapters there is a short review. It mixes words from all six chapters. Each review has 41 points. Is your score 30 or less? Look again at the chapters with the most mistakes.

Using this book with A1 and A2

You can use this book alone. It also works well with Learn Real Business English A1, A2 or the A1–A2 Collection. Twenty chapters have the same topics as units in those books. Each chapter starts with a Goes with line, so you can see which unit it matches. Four chapters are new topics: money and prices, numbers and charts, orders and deliveries, and hotels and restaurants.

Chapter	Goes with
1 · Hello and Introductions	A1 Unit 1 · A2 Unit 1
2 · Jobs and Companies	A1 Unit 2 · A2 Unit 2
3 · Colleagues and Teams	A1 Unit 3
4 · The Office	A1 Unit 4
5 · My Working Day	A1 Unit 5 · A2 Unit 3
6 · Time, Dates and Plans	A1 Units 6 and 16 · A2 Unit 6
7 · Meetings	A1 Unit 7 · A2 Unit 5
8 · Asking for Help	A1 Units 8–9 · A2 Unit 7
9 · Emails and Messages	A1 Unit 10 · A2 Unit 8
10 · Phone Calls	A1 Unit 11 · A2 Unit 9
11 · Small Talk and Social English	A1 Unit 15 · A2 Unit 16
12 · Opinions and Ideas	A2 Unit 17
13 · Customers	A1 Unit 12 · A2 Unit 10
14 · Products and Services	A2 Unit 11
15 · Problems at Work	A1 Unit 13 · A2 Unit 12
16 · Money and Prices	new topic
17 · Numbers and Charts	new topic
18 · Orders and Deliveries	new topic
19 · Business Travel	A1 Unit 14 · A2 Unit 15
20 · Hotels and Restaurants	new topic
21 · Projects and Tasks	A1 Unit 17 · A2 Unit 13
22 · Deadlines and Priorities	A2 Unit 14
23 · Simple Presentations	A1 Unit 18
24 · Learning and Your Career	A2 Unit 18

Words you already know. Under each word set there is a You already know box. It shows words from A1 and A2, or from earlier chapters of this book, that go with the topic. This book doesn’t teach them again. Is a word new for you? Look in the A1 or A2 book, or in a dictionary.

A few things to know

Word types. n. = noun · v. = verb · adj. = adjective · adv. = adverb · phr. v. = phrasal verb · abbr. = short form · excl. = exclamation · phrase = a group of words

A1 or A2? Every new word has a small level tag. Learn the A1 words first. They are the most important. The A2 words come next. Are you working with the A1 book? Start with the A1 words, and come back for the A2 words later.

British or American? This book uses British English: colour, organise, holiday, mobile phone. When American English uses a different word, the word list at the back shows it (mobile phone = US cell phone). Both are correct.

The people in this book. You meet people who work in offices in many countries. They are not real people. Their companies and email addresses (they end in example.com) are not real.

What comes next? When you finish this book, try Business Vocabulary in Real Life B1–B2. It has 240 more words for your next level.

Let’s start!

Part 1 · Me and My Work

Chapter 1 · Hello and Introductions

Goes with A1 Unit 1 · A2 Unit 1 · Your goal: You can say your name, spell it, say where you are from and meet new people at work.

The first minutes with a new person are very important. In this chapter you learn the words for your first day at work, for visitors and for new colleagues. Short words, but very useful!

1.1 Word set

Word or phrase	Type	Level	Meaning	Example
first name	n.	A1	your own name; it comes before your family name (for example, Anna)	My first name is Kenji.
surname	n.	A1	your family name (for example, Müller) (also last name)	What’s your surname, please?
spell	v.	A1	to say the letters of a word, one by one	Can you spell that, please?
nationality	n.	A1	the country you belong to, as a word like Brazilian or Indian	What’s your nationality? — I’m Polish.
welcome	excl. / v.	A1	a friendly word you say to a new person or visitor	Welcome to the team!
business card	n.	A2	a small card with your name, job and contact details	Here’s my business card.
get to know	phrase	A2	to learn more about a person, little by little	I want to get to know my new colleagues.
How do you do?	phrase	A2	a very polite way to say hello when you meet someone for the first time	“How do you do?” “How do you do?”
by the way	phrase	A2	used to start talking about a new thing	By the way, the meeting is in Room 4.
keep in touch	phrase	A2	to talk or write to someone often, after you meet	It was great to meet you. Let’s keep in touch!

You already know: hello, good morning, name, nice to meet you, colleague, introduce, department, reception, visitor, ID badge

1.2 Words that go together

Item	Words that go with it
first name	What’s your first name? · my / her first name
surname	your / my / her surname · What’s your surname?
spell	How do you spell it? · Can you spell that, please?
nationality	What’s your nationality? · two nationalities
welcome	Welcome to the team / the company / Berlin! · You’re welcome (= reply to thank you)
business card	give someone a business card · exchange business cards
get to know	get to know someone / the team / the city
How do you do?	The answer is also How do you do?
by the way	Oh, by the way, …
keep in touch	let’s keep in touch · stay in touch

Word forms: nation (n.) → national (adj.) → nationality (n.) · name (n.) → first name / surname / full name

1.3 In real life

Today is Grace’s first day at Verdemar Travel in San José, Costa Rica. She arrives at reception.

At reception · Monday, 8:55

Receptionist 8:55
Good morning! Welcome to Verdemar Travel. How can I help you?

Grace 8:55
Good morning. I’m Grace. It’s my first day today.

Receptionist 8:56
Oh, nice to meet you, Grace! What’s your surname, please?

Grace 8:56
It’s Wanjiru. My first name is Grace.

Receptionist 8:57
Can you spell your surname, please?

Grace 8:57
Yes, of course. W-A-N-J-I-R-U.

Receptionist 8:58
Thank you. And your nationality? It’s for your ID badge.

Grace 8:58
I’m Kenyan.

Receptionist 8:59
Perfect. Here’s your ID badge. By the way, your manager, Mr Rojas, is in a meeting until 9:15.

Mr Rojas 9:20
Grace! How do you do? I’m Luis Rojas. Here’s my business card. My phone number is on it.

Grace 9:20
How do you do? Nice to meet you, Mr Rojas.

Mr Rojas 9:21
Please, call me Luis. Today you can get to know the team. And at the end of your first week, let’s have coffee. Next week I’m in Panama, but let’s keep in touch by email. My email is on my card.

Tip · How do you do? This is very polite. Some people use it in formal meetings, often in the UK. It is not a question about your health: the answer is also How do you do? In most offices, Nice to meet you is fine.

1.4 Check the meaning

Exercise 1 · Match. Which meaning goes with each word or phrase? Match 1–5 with a–e.

1. surname
2. spell
3. nationality
4. business card
5. keep in touch

1. the country you are from
2. a small card with your name and contact details
3. your family name
4. talk or write to someone often
5. say the letters of a word

Exercise 2 · True or false? Read the conversation again. Is each sentence true or false?

1. Grace’s surname is Rojas.
2. Grace is from Kenya.
3. Mr Rojas is at reception at 9 o’clock.
4. Mr Rojas gives Grace his business card.

Exercise 3 · Choose the right word. Pick the word that fits best.

1. Can you spell / say your name, please? W-O-N-G.
2. My first name / surname is Ahmed, and my first name / surname is Khan.
3. Welcome / Hello to the company!
4. By the way / On the way, lunch is at 12:30.

1.5 Use the right word

Exercise 4 · Fill the gaps. Use each word or phrase once: nationality, welcome, business card, get to know, How do you do, keep in touch.

1. “______?” “How do you do? Nice to meet you.”
2. Here’s my ______. My email is on it.
3. What’s your ______? — I’m Japanese.
4. It was great to meet you. Let’s ______.
5. ______ to Dublin! Is this your first visit?
6. I want to ______ the new people in the team.

Exercise 5 · Words that go together. Which word is the natural partner? Choose one.

1. Welcome / Welcome to the team!
2. Let’s keep / hold in touch.
3. We exchanged / changed business cards.
4. How / What do you spell it?

Exercise 6 · Word forms. Use the correct form of the word in brackets.

1. She has two ______ (nationality): Spanish and German.
2. What’s your ______ (name)? — It’s Maria Silva. (two words)
3. Is the ______ (nation) day in your country in May?
4. What’s your ______ (nation)? — I’m Polish.

Exercise 7 · Odd one out. One word in each group is different. Which one, and why?

1. first name · surname · full name · nationality
2. Nice to meet you · How do you do? · Welcome · Goodbye
3. spell · say · business card · write

1.6 Say this, not that

Many learners make these mistakes. Don’t worry! Here is the correct English.

Not this	Say this	Why
Can you spell me your name?	Can you spell your name, please?	spell + the word. No me.
My name is Ali. My second name is Khan.	My surname is Khan.	Second name can mean a middle name. Say surname or last name.
I am from Brazilian.	I’m from Brazil. / I’m Brazilian.	from + country; I’m + nationality.
Welcome in our company!	Welcome to our company!	Welcome to + place.

Exercise 8 · Fix the mistakes. Each sentence has one small mistake. Can you find it and fix it?

1. Welcome in Berlin!
2. I’m from Italian.
3. My first name is Lin. My second name is Zhou.
4. Can you spell me your surname, please?