English in the Workplace: Essential Vocabulary
An email, a meeting, a phone call, or a conversation with a colleague can feel completely different when we have to handle it in English. And we do not always need complicated structures: knowing a few key expressions can help us communicate more clearly, independently, and confidently in our professional lives.
English for Working, Communicating, and Participating
Using English at work does not necessarily mean speaking it perfectly.
It means being able to do things with it.
Introduce ourselves.
Understand an instruction.
Write an email.
Take part in a meeting.
Ask when we have not understood something.
Talk to a client or colleague.
Handle an everyday situation.
That is why learning English for the workplace makes much more sense when vocabulary and expressions appear within real communication situations.
Here are some that can be especially useful.
01 · Introducing Yourself and Talking About Your Work
One of the first situations we may encounter is having to explain who we are and what we do.
Hi, I’m…Hola, soy…
I work at…Trabajo en…
I work as a…Trabajo como…
I’m responsible for…Soy responsable de…
I work in the … department.Trabajo en el departamento de…
Nice to meet you.Encantado/a de conocerte.
You do not need to prepare a complicated introduction. Start with three or four sentences that you can use confidently and build from there.
Easy TIP · Practice a short introduction about yourself. Having a few sentences prepared can help you feel more confident when you need to use them in a real situation.
02 · Emails: Expressions You’ll Use Again and Again
Writing a professional email in English can seem complicated, but many situations are repeated.
To start:
Hi / Hello…Hola…
Dear Mr / Ms…Estimado/a…
To explain the reason for your email:
I’m writing about…Te escribo en relación con…
I’m writing to confirm…Te escribo para confirmar…
I’m writing to ask about…Te escribo para preguntar sobre…
To attach information:
Please find attached…Adjunto encontrarás…
I’ve attached…He adjuntado…
To close:
Please let me know if you have any questions.Avísame si tienes alguna pregunta.
I look forward to hearing from you.Quedo a la espera de tu respuesta.
Best regards,Un saludo / Saludos cordiales.
We do not need to memorize dozens of formulas. We can start by building our own small set of frequently used expressions.
03 · Meetings: Participating Even When Your English Isn’t Perfect
In a meeting, we do not always need to make a long contribution.
We also participate when we express an opinion, agree with someone, ask a question, or request clarification.
I agree.Estoy de acuerdo.
I think…Creo que…
In my opinion…En mi opinión…
What do you think?¿Qué opinas?
Could you explain that again, please?¿Podrías explicarlo otra vez, por favor?
Could you speak a little more slowly, please?¿Podrías hablar un poco más despacio, por favor?
Sorry, I didn’t understand that. Perdona, no he entendido eso.
And this last point is especially important.
Asking someone to repeat something is also communication.
Not understanding a sentence does not mean that we cannot take part in the conversation.
04 · Organizing Tasks and Time
Dates, priorities, and tasks are part of many professional environments.
These words will come up again and again:
deadline → fecha límitePronunciación aproximada: “déd-lain”
task → tareaPronunciación aproximada: “task”
schedule → horario / planificaciónPronunciación aproximada: “shéd-yul”
meeting → reuniónPronunciación aproximada: “míi-ting”
project → proyectoPronunciación aproximada: “pró-yekt”
priority → prioridadPronunciación aproximada: “prai-ór-uh-ti”
available → disponiblePronunciación aproximada: “a-véi-la-bol”
on time → a tiempoPronunciación aproximada: “on taim”
And we can use them in simple sentences:
What’s the deadline?¿Cuál es la fecha límite?
When is the meeting?¿Cuándo es la reunión?
I’ll finish it today.Lo terminaré hoy.
I’m working on it.Estoy trabajando en ello.
Can we change the date?¿Podemos cambiar la fecha?
Learning vocabulary within sentences helps us understand not only what a word means, but how we can actually use it.
05 · Phone Calls and Video Calls
Phone calls can be especially difficult because we lose some of the visual information that helps us understand a conversation.
Having a few expressions prepared can help.
Hello, this is…Hola, soy…
May I speak to…?¿Podría hablar con…?
One moment, please.Un momento, por favor.
Could you repeat that, please?¿Podrías repetirlo, por favor?
You’re on mute.Tienes el micrófono silenciado.
And one expression that can save more than one video call:
Can you see my screen?¿Puedes ver mi pantalla?
06 · Asking for Help or Clarification
Sometimes we think that having a good level of English means understanding everything the first time.
But knowing how to deal with what we do not understand is also a communication skill.
Could you help me, please?¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor?
What does this mean?¿Qué significa esto?
Could you show me an example?¿Podrías enseñarme un ejemplo?
Do you mean…?¿Quieres decir…?
Let me check if I understood correctly.Déjame comprobar si lo he entendido correctamente.
These expressions allow us to keep the conversation going and find the information we need to continue.
07 · Talking to Colleagues
Not all workplace English happens in a formal meeting.
Many professional relationships are also built through small conversations.
How are you?¿Cómo estás?
How was your weekend?¿Qué tal tu fin de semana?
How’s your day going?¿Qué tal va tu día?
Would you like some coffee?¿Quieres café?
See you tomorrow.Nos vemos mañana.
Have a good weekend!¡Que tengas un buen fin de semana!
These interactions may seem simple, but they are also part of feeling comfortable using another language in a professional environment.
08 · Customer Service
If our job involves working with customers, some expressions can help us handle common situations.
How can I help you?¿En qué puedo ayudarte?
Let me check.Déjame comprobarlo.
One moment, please.Un momento, por favor.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience.Lamento las molestias.
Thank you for your patience.Gracias por tu paciencia.
Is there anything else I can help you with?¿Puedo ayudarte con algo más?
Here, as well as vocabulary, tone, clarity, and the ability to adapt our message to the situation are also important.
You Don’t Need to Know Everything to Start Communicating
You may know many words and still find it difficult to use them when the moment comes. Or perhaps you have a beginner level, but a few well-practiced expressions allow you to manage certain situations.
That is why learning English for work should not only be about accumulating vocabulary.
We can ask ourselves: What do I need to use English for at work?
Maybe you need to:
Answer emails.
Handle phone calls.
Talk to clients.
Take part in meetings.
Understand documents.
Travel.
Have a job interview.
Each goal tells us which English we need to start working on first.
Build Your Own English for Work
Make a short list of the situations in which you use — or would like to use — English during your working day.
Then start with one.
Learn a few expressions.
Practice them.
Adapt them to your reality.
And when they start to feel familiar, add some new ones.
It is not about learning all the English there is before you feel ready to use it.
It is about building the English you need to communicate in your professional world.
Keep Your Own Work Vocabulary
Whenever you find a word or expression that you can actually use, write it down together with an example sentence related to your work.
Instead of learning:
deadline = fecha límite
try:
The context will make it much easier to remember when and how to use it.
Do You Need English for Your Professional Day-to-Day?
English For Work is designed to help you work on English through situations and goals related to the workplace.
Tell us what you need, what your level is, and what you want to use English for. We will help you find the right place to start.
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