Business English Made Easy for Emails and Meetings

Want to sound more professional at work in English?

Business English has its own style. It’s polite, a bit formal, and full of phrases that sound nice—but sometimes mean something else. In this article, you’ll learn the most useful business phrases, what they really mean, and which ones you should skip. Whether you're writing an email or sitting in a meeting, these examples will help you feel more confident and sound more natural.

---

📧 Emails

In business emails, your goal is to be clear, polite, and professional. Start with a simple greeting, go straight to the point, and end with a friendly but respectful goodbye. You don’t need long, complicated sentences—short and clear is better. If you don’t know the person well, keep it more formal. If it’s a coworker or someone you talk to often, you can be a little more relaxed.

Greetings (How to start your email)

• Dear Mr. Smith / Dear Ms. Green → Formal; use for managers, clients, or people you don’t know
• Hi John / Hello Sarah → Friendly and professional; good for coworkers and people you’ve spoken to before
• Hey → Very casual; okay for team chats or close coworkers only (not for your boss!)

❌ Don’t use “XOXO,” “Hugs,” or “Heyyyy” in work emails. These are for friends or family.

Sign-offs (How to end your email)

• Kind regards / Best regards → Professional and polite
• Thanks / Many thanks → Friendly and polite, often used when asking for something
• Cheers → Casual, friendly (mostly used in UK workplaces)
• Sincerely → Very formal; good for official letters
• Take care / Talk soon → Casual; okay with people you know well

Now, let’s look at some common email phrases—and what they really mean.

“I hope this email finds you well.”
👉 I’m being polite before I get to the point.

“As per my previous email...”
👉 Okay, so it seems that I have to repeat it again for you...

“Just following up on this...”
👉 Please answer me, I’ve been waiting.

“Please find attached...”
👉 I attached the file. It’s right there.

“Looking forward to your reply.”
👉 Please respond. Soon.

“Let me know if you need anything else.”
👉 I hope I answered everything… but I’m still here.

“Thanks again for your time.”
👉 I know you’re busy, so thanks for reading this.

“Let me know if you have any questions.”
👉 I hope you understood everything, but ask me if you didn’t.

“Have a great rest of your day!”
👉 I'm done typing now. Goodbye!

---

🗓️ Meetings & Office Talk

In meetings, it’s important to speak clearly and stay polite—even when you disagree or want to move on. Office English uses many special phrases that make things sound softer or more diplomatic. These phrases are common in international teams and corporate workplaces. Learning them helps you follow conversations and join in more easily.

Here are some of the most common expressions used during meetings:

“Let’s circle back to that later.”
👉 We’ll talk about that another time (maybe never).

“Can we take this offline?”
👉 Let’s stop talking about this now—in front of everyone.

“We’re on the same page.”
👉 We agree! Finally!

“Let’s touch base next week.”
👉 Let’s have a short check-in later.

“It’s on my radar.”
👉 I know about it, but I haven’t done anything yet.

“Let’s keep the momentum going.”
👉 Let’s continue working well and not slow down.

“Can we align on next steps?”
👉 Let’s agree on what to do next.

“Let’s circle in [Name] for this part.”
👉 Let’s ask [Name] to join this conversation/task.

---

⚠️ Talking About Problems (Nicely)

In business, people try to speak gently about problems. This helps keep things polite and professional. Instead of saying “this is bad,” we use softer words like “challenge” or “delay.” These phrases are useful in emails, reports, or when speaking in a meeting. It shows you’re professional and calm—even when things go wrong.

Here are examples of how problems are usually described:

“We’re currently experiencing some unexpected issues.”
👉 Something went wrong that we didn’t plan for.

“The project is taking longer than anticipated.”
👉 It’s going slower than we thought, oops.

“We’re working to resolve the issue.”
👉 Something broke, but we’re fixing it.

“There has been a miscommunication.”
👉 Looks like we didn’t understand each other correctly.

“That falls outside the scope of this project.”
👉 Hey, that’s not part of what we agreed to do.

“We’ve identified the root cause.”
👉 We finally figured out what’s causing the problem, yay!

“This will require additional resources.”
👉 We need more people, time, or money to fix it.

“Thanks for your patience.”
👉 Please don’t email me again (yet).

---

❌ What to Avoid: Outdated or Too Formal Phrases

Some business phrases sound very serious or old-fashioned. People don’t really use them in normal work conversations anymore. If you use them, you might sound like you're writing a legal letter instead of sending a quick message to a coworker.

Here are more phrases that are better to skip—plus what to say instead:

“Kindly revert at your earliest convenience.”
👉 Just say: Please reply when you can.

“Please be advised that…”
👉 Just say: Just a quick note to let you know…

“Enclosed herewith…”
👉 Just say: I’ve attached…

“Pursuant to our discussion…”
👉 Just say: As we discussed…

“I am writing to inform you that…”
👉 Just say: I wanted to let you know…

“With reference to your email…”
👉 Just say: About your email…

“We remain at your disposal for any further information.”
👉 Just say: Let us know if you need anything else.

“Do not hesitate to contact us.”
👉 Just say: Feel free to reach out.

“Your esteemed company…”
👉 Just say: Your company… (Yes, simple is better!)

“Thanking you in anticipation.”
👉 Just say: Thanks in advance!

Using modern, clear phrases helps you sound professional and friendly—which is the goal in most workplaces today.

---

Final Tips

Learning Business English is not about using big words—it’s about clear, polite, and professional communication. The more you listen to real conversations, read emails, and practice your own writing, the easier it becomes. Don't worry about being perfect. Focus on being friendly, respectful, and easy to understand.

Business English has its own rules and rhythm. Some phrases are helpful, some are funny, and a few are just old-school. Now that you know what they really mean, you can feel more confident when writing emails, joining meetings, or talking to coworkers.

Keep practicing—and don’t forget: sounding natural is more important than sounding fancy.

---