Essential Business English Vocabulary for Professionals

Economic Terms (Market Leader Unit 7)

Interest rate: The cost of borrowing money.
Exchange rate: The price at which one currency can buy another.
Inflation rate: The percentage increase in prices.
Labor force: The number of people working.
Tax incentives: Low taxes to encourage business activity.
Government bureaucracy: Official rules, regulations, and paperwork.
GDP: The total value of goods and services produced in a country.
Unemployment rate: The percentage of people without jobs.
Foreign investment: Money from overseas.
Balance of trade: The difference in value between a country’s imports and exports.

Cashflow problem: A major client is late paying.
Installment: Regular payment of a loan (e.g., every month we pay…).
Venture capital: Money to start a new business.
Mortgage: A loan on a property (e.g., a €200,000 mortgage).
Interest rate: The percentage charged on a loan (e.g., a 4% interest rate).
Bankruptcy: If the business fails, it will go into bankruptcy if it runs out of money.
Asset: Something valuable owned by a business (e.g., a town-center location is a real asset).
In the red: Spending more than you earn.
In the black: Making a profit.
In credit: Having money in your account.
Loan: Money borrowed from a bank.
Debtor: A person who owes money.
Grant: Money given that does not need to be repaid.
Overdraft: Spending more than you have.
Liabilities: Money owed by a business.
Debts: Money owed.
Collateral: An asset used to secure a loan.
Creditor: A person who is owed money.
Dividend payment: A payment to shareholders.
Deposit: An initial payment.

Consignment: A batch of goods being shipped.
Freight forwarder: A person or company that organizes shipments.
Payload: The maximum cargo a container can carry.
Tare weight: The empty weight of a container (e.g., 4,030 kg).
Gross weight: The total weight including contents (e.g., 32,500 kg).
Customs clearance: Official permission to import or export goods.
Dispatch: To send goods out to a customer.
Crate: A wooden box made of wooden slats, open or closed, used for packing goods.
Barrel/Cask: A large cylindrical container with a flat bottom and top, made of wood, used for liquids.
Drum: A cylindrical metal container for liquids.
Bale: A large package of press-packed goods, often raw material, tightly bound, wrapped, and banded.
Chest: A sturdy box with a lid, made of metal, often used for storage.

Bi-: Two (e.g., bilateral – an agreement between two sides).
Dis-: Negative/remove (e.g., disconnected – workers disconnected the electricity).
Hyper-: Extreme/over (e.g., hypersensitive).
Mis-: Wrong (e.g., mismatch – a difference between expectations).
Multi-: Many (e.g., multicultural – workers from 27 nations).
Post-: After (e.g., post-activity – discussion after a role play).
Pre-: Before (e.g., pre-conference – event before a conference).
Pro-: In favor/forward (e.g., pro-lateral).

Softening phrases: “I’m sorry, but…” or “We were hoping…”; modify language so it does not sound too aggressive.
Open questions: Gather information and explore the opposite number’s views.
Closed questions: Check understanding and ask for precise information.
Signaling phrases: “I’d like to make a proposal”; say what you are going to do before you do it.
Summarizing phrases: “Let’s recap before we go on”; highlight when agreement is reached.