Business English phrases for meetings, emails and phone calls

Why are business English phrases so useful?

Fixed phrases are so useful because many professionals read English documents with ease but freeze when they have to speak spontaneously. Ready-made building blocks for meetings, emails and calls don’t have to be translated in your head first. That leaves more attention for the content of the conversation, and you come across as more confident.

That speaking is the weak spot can be measured. In the EF English Proficiency Index (2025 edition), Germany ranks 4th overall with 615 points. Its reading score is 623 points, while its speaking score is only 521. According to EF, speaking is the weakest skill in more than half of the countries surveyed.

This is exactly where phrases help. Fixed expressions (linguists call them chunks) don’t need to be assembled word by word. You retrieve them as a whole and gain time to think about what you actually want to say. Someone with ten confident sentences for opening a meeting sounds more assured than someone producing grammatically perfect but laboriously translated sentences.

The tables below group the phrases by situation. All English examples follow standard British usage. If you would like to practise them with a teacher, our business English courses offer formats for individuals and teams, starting at level A1.

Phrases for meetings in English

In English-language meetings you mainly need phrases for three situations: giving your opinion and agreeing (From my point of view, …), disagreeing politely (I’m not sure I agree with that.), and interrupting or asking for clarification (Sorry to interrupt, but …). The tables below show the most common expressions and how they come across.

Giving your opinion and agreeing

Disagreeing politely

Interrupting and asking for clarification

• Sorry to interrupt, but … (polite way to break in)
• Could I just come in here? (asking to add something)
• Could you clarify what you mean by …? (asking for an explanation)
• Just to make sure I’ve understood correctly, … (checking understanding)

If you chair the meeting yourself, you will need extra phrases for the agenda, timekeeping and summing up. You will find them in our guide to leading meetings in English. Phrases for talks in front of an audience are covered in presentations in English.

English phrases for emails: opening, requests and closing

For emails in English you need fixed building blocks for the opening, the request and the close, such as Thank you for your email regarding …, Could you please send me …? and I look forward to hearing from you. Emails by non-native speakers often sound too blunt or too stiff; these phrases set the right tone.

A typical pitfall: translating word for word

The German sentence “Ich bitte um Rückmeldung bis Freitag” often turns into I ask for feedback until Friday. That is wrong twice over: “until” describes a period of time, not a deadline, and “I ask for” sounds demanding. Better: Could you let me know by Friday? Similar traps exist in many other languages, so check your own direct translations.

Detailed templates for greetings, sign-offs and typical occasions are in our article on writing emails in English. If you often see abbreviations such as FYI or ASAP, the overview of abbreviations in English emails is worth a look too.

Business English on the phone: phrases for calls

On the phone, fixed phrases structure each stage of the call: introduce yourself with This is Anna Weber from …, give your reason with I’m calling about …, check with Sorry, could you repeat that? and sum up with So, just to recap …. Without body language, you will ask for clarification more often.

Watch out for “Here is Anna Weber”: it is a literal translation of the German “Hier ist …” and sounds wrong in English. Say This is Anna Weber or Anna Weber speaking instead. More phrases, call structures and a sample conversation are in our article on phone calls in English.

Polite wording in English: too direct or too indirect?

The most common cause of misunderstandings at work is not grammar but tone. German business communication is known for being direct and factual, while British English relies heavily on softeners. A sentence that sounds neutral in German, or in many other languages, can come across as abrupt in English. Knowing both styles helps you write and listen better.

Softening direct sentences

The other way round: understanding British understatement

Recognising indirect messages matters at least as much. “That’s an interesting idea” may mean the other person is sceptical. “With the greatest respect …” often introduces fairly sharp criticism, and “I’ll bear it in mind” quite often means nothing more will happen. If you take these signals literally, you may feel safer than you are. Conversely, if your German colleagues sound blunt, they are usually just being efficient. Read more in our article on intercultural communication at work.

Three simple softeners

• Modal verbs: could, would, might instead of can, will, must
• Qualifiers: a bit, slightly, a little, perhaps
• Introductory phrases: I was wondering if …, I’m afraid …, To be honest …

False friends in business English: typical mistakes German speakers make

False friends are English words that look almost identical to German ones but mean something else: become (not “bekommen”, to get), eventually (not “eventuell”, possibly), actual (not “aktuell”, current) and chef (not “Chef”, boss). Knowing them helps you avoid embarrassing slips and decode what German-speaking colleagues really mean.

More classics from everyday office life

• “Termin” can be an appointment (doctor, client), a meeting or a deadline, depending on context.
• “Ich habe eine Frage” is I have a question, not I have a demand; a “demand” is something you insist on.
• “Bis Montag” as a deadline is by Monday, not until Monday.
• “Wir telefonieren morgen” is Let’s speak tomorrow, not We telephone tomorrow.

A detailed list covering grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary is available in false friends and typical mistakes of German speakers (in German). Many fixed expressions in business English are phrasal verbs such as follow up or set up; see our article on phrasal verbs in English (in German).

Practice: using business English phrases correctly

Test yourself with six sentences that contain typical mistakes. Rewrite each one so it sounds natural and polite in British business English, paying attention to false friends, deadlines and tone. The suggested answers follow below, so cover them up before you start and compare afterwards.

1. I become your offer tomorrow.
2. Send me the numbers until Friday.
3. Here is Thomas Bauer from Nuremberg.
4. Your proposal is bad.
5. We can eventually meet next week.
6. I want to speak with your chef.

Answers

1. I’ll receive your offer tomorrow. (or: We’ll get your offer tomorrow.)
2. Could you send me the figures by Friday?
3. This is Thomas Bauer from Nuremberg. (or: Thomas Bauer speaking.)
4. I’m not sure the proposal quite meets our needs yet.
5. We could possibly meet next week.
6. Could I speak to your manager, please?

If you were unsure about more than two of these sentences, structured training is worth it. A conversation with an experienced teacher uncovers patterns like these faster than any app. A placement test shows where you stand overall.

How do you learn business English phrases so they stick?

Phrases stick when you learn them as whole sentences, organise them by situation rather than by topic, and practise them out loud. Only note down sentences you will genuinely need in the next two weeks, use three of them deliberately in your next meeting, and ask for feedback above all on your tone.

Lists are a good start, but a phrase only becomes yours once you can retrieve it under time pressure. These methods have proven themselves in our courses:

• Personal phrasebook: write down only sentences you will really need in the next two weeks, always as a full sentence rather than a single word.
• Situations, not topics: learn five sentences for “I disagree politely” rather than fifty words about finance.
• Practise out loud: say the phrases aloud, ideally recording yourself. This is the only way to train pronunciation and intonation.
• Use real occasions: prepare three expressions for your next meeting and use them on purpose.
• Get feedback: ask to be corrected, especially on tone. You will rarely notice yourself whether a sentence sounds too direct.

Faster progress with a course

In our job-focused English courses, every programme starts with a needs analysis, so you practise exactly the phrases your working day demands, whether for project meetings, client conversations or supplier contacts. For teams, our language courses for companies offer small groups (four people is ideal) and one-to-one training. If you first want to know where your team stands, start with a language audit.

We are happy to answer questions about the right format personally via our contact page.

Sources

1. ef.de: germany
2. ef.edu: ef english proficiency index 2025 launched

Frequently asked questions