Corporate English is the language of business meetings, presentations, reports and professional interactions. Even if your general English is good, corporate phrases are specific and must be learned separately. Here are the 50 phrases every professional should know.
Meeting openers and closers. "Let's get started" "Shall we begin?" "Before we wrap up, I'd like to…" "Thank you all for your time" "I'll send a follow-up email with the action items." These phrases structure meetings and signal transitions.
Agreeing and disagreeing politely. "I agree with that approach" "That makes sense" "I see your point, but I have a different perspective" "I respectfully disagree because…" "Could we consider an alternative?" Professional disagreement requires tact — these phrases deliver it.
Making suggestions. "What if we tried…" "I would suggest…" "One option is to…" "Perhaps we could…" "Have we considered…" These soft suggestions are more professional than direct commands and invite collaboration.
Asking for clarification. "Could you elaborate on that?" "What do you mean by…?" "Are you saying that…?" "Could you provide an example?" "Just to confirm, you mean…?" Asking for clarification shows engagement, not weakness.
Presenting data and results. "As you can see from the chart…" "The data indicates that…" "We saw a significant increase in…" "Compared to last quarter…" "The key takeaway is…" These phrases help you present information clearly and professionally.
Email phrases for different situations. "Please find attached…" "I wanted to follow up on…" "Thank you for your prompt response" "As discussed in our meeting…" "Please let me know if you need any further information." These phrases make your professional emails polished and complete.
Practice these in context. Read each phrase, understand its meaning, and then use it in a sentence related to your own work. Shaista incorporates corporate English phrases into role-play exercises at LEWS Academy, simulating real workplace scenarios so students practice using them naturally rather than reciting them from memory.
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