Essential Business Vocabulary and Phrases

Workplace Vocabulary

annual leave vacaciones anuales… approve aprobar… attend to ocuparse de… busy period periodo de mucha actitud… card reader lector tarjeta… carry over guardar… clock in ficha de entrar… clock out ficha al salir… consecutive days días consecutivos… co-worker compañero de trabajo… entitled to con derecho a… give one month`s notice dar un mes de preaviso… overtime horas extras… part-time a tiempo parcial… refuse negarse… reject rechazar… sick leave baja por enfermedad… sick note justificante medico… submit a request presentar una solicitud… swipe your card pagar la tarjeta… take time off coger días libres… unpaid leave licencia sin sueldo … break-in robo… firewall cortafuegos… lighting iluminacion… lock cerrar con llave… monitor vigilar… personal belongings objetos personales… premises instalaciones… safety seguridad… surveillance system sistemas de vigilancia… suspiciously de manera sospechosa… unattended desatendido… valuables objetos de valor


Customer Service Vocabulary

apologise disculparse… argue discutir… assure asegurar… calmly con calma… deal with tratar de/ encargarse de… enquiry consulta… exhausted agotado… impatient impaciente… in the long run a la larga… keep a promise cumplir una promesa… manner manera /forma… politely con educacion… refund reembolso… remind recordar… replacement cambio/sustitucion… reputation reputacion… respectfully con respecto… rude grosero… solve solucionar… treat tratar… at our expense a nuestro cargo… be in touch estar en contacto… be supposed to suponer que… credit your account ingresar en la cuenta… disappointed decepcionado… due debido… fail to meet no cumplir… faulty part pieza defectuosa… has got a hole in it tiene un agujero… insist on insistir en… is missing a part le falta una pieza… is torn esta roto… isn´t fresh no esta fresco… make a claim poner una reclamacion… make a noise hacer ruido… overcharge cobrar de mas… pricing precios… repair arreglar… taste bad saber mal… under warranty en garantía


Reading Comprehension

1. T, T, F, F, DS

2. On 28th July at 11pm;

arrived late and were no rooms available

hotel regulations: the guests must pay for the room in advance if they want the hotel to keep the room after the expected arrival time

the price was 100 more than the room we had booked at the lotus hotel

pay compensation for the trouble and expense.


Functional Language

1h, 2f, 3d, 4e, 5i, 6b, 7a, 8j, 9c, 10g


Listening Comprehension

1. Cathy works at… the Thompson hotel

This is adam… seconds… visit to the exhibition

The Thompson hotel needs to purchase a… good surveillance system

Adam says that the staff at APS were… often impatient with them

Wilton hotels… food and beverage… manager is also at the exhibition

2. When is the Thompson hotel going to open (in march)

When did adam see the Thompson hotel (when he was in the area the previous week)

What does adam manage at wilton hotels (the business centers)

Which stand at the exhibition is adam going to look at next (laundry service)


Vocabulary in Context

1. I worked a lot of overtime last month

Don´t leave your bags or luggage unattended at any time

We spoke to the manager about the rude hotel staff

The job pays a salary of 50,000 a year

The hotel has got a restaurant on its premises

We asked Kate to help but she refused to do anything

I´m thinking of accompanying Jenny to the exhibition next year.

2. Our company´s employees can take up to two weeks of unpaid leave a year

3. All requests for holiday leave must be approved by your department manager

We alerted the security guard about the man´s suspicious behaviour

The card reader was broken when i arrived at work so i couldn´t clock in

4. Don´t forget to take your personal belongings with you when you get off the plane

5. It´s a lot of work to start a business but in the long run i´m sure we´ll make a big profit

It was nice meeting you. Here´s my business card. Let´s be in touch

I just noticed that the dress i bought yesterday has got a hole. I´m going to return it to the shop right now

People didn´t like the film. It failed to meet expectations

We will replace the broken items at our expense. We´ve already sent them by courier

We received the machine this morning but it is missing a part. It can´t work without it