Business English Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on business meetings, emails, finance, negotiations and workplace idioms. B2 level. Perfect for professional English learners.
Business English — FAQ
Core business vocabulary: stakeholder (anyone with an interest in a company), agenda (list of items to discuss in a meeting), deadline (due date), quarterly (every three months), revenue (income from sales), profit margin (percentage of revenue kept as profit), benchmark (a standard for comparison), KPI (Key Performance Indicator), ROI (Return on Investment), and pitch (a sales or project presentation).
Meeting vocabulary: agenda, minutes (written record), chair/chairperson, AOB (Any Other Business), quorum (minimum number needed), motion (formal proposal), adjourn (end the meeting), action points, and brainstorming. Phrases: 'Shall we move on to the next item?', 'Could I just clarify...?', 'To summarise...'
Email openings: 'I am writing with regard to...', 'Further to our conversation...', 'I hope this email finds you well.' Closings: 'Please do not hesitate to contact me.', 'I look forward to hearing from you.', 'Kind regards / Best regards.' For attachments: 'Please find attached...' Requests: 'Could you please...', 'I would be grateful if...'
Turnover (revenue/sales) is the total income from selling goods or services. Profit is what remains after all costs and expenses are deducted from turnover. Gross profit is turnover minus cost of goods sold. Net profit is the final profit after all expenses, taxes and interest. A business can have high turnover but low or even negative profit.
Interview vocabulary: CV/resume, cover letter, reference, strengths/weaknesses, competency, probationary period, salary expectations, notice period. Common questions: 'Tell me about yourself.', 'What are your strengths and weaknesses?', 'Where do you see yourself in five years?', 'Give an example of a time you...'
Business idioms: 'think outside the box' (think creatively), 'touch base' (make brief contact), 'low-hanging fruit' (easy wins), 'ballpark figure' (approximate number), 'bottom line' (final profit or most important point), 'get the ball rolling' (start something), 'a win-win situation' (mutually beneficial), and 'on the same page' (in agreement).
B2B = Business-to-Business: companies that sell to other businesses (e.g., a software company selling to corporations). B2C = Business-to-Consumer: companies that sell directly to individual customers (e.g., a retail shop or online store). These models affect marketing, pricing and sales strategies differently.
Essential financial terms: assets (what a company owns), liabilities (what it owes), cash flow, invoice (bill for goods/services), budget, forecast, equity (ownership value), shareholders, dividend (payment from profits), fiscal year, overheads (fixed costs), and break-even point (where income equals expenses).
'Negotiate' is the formal business term for discussing and reaching an agreement (negotiate a contract, negotiate terms). 'Bargain' means negotiating price informally or finding a good deal. In business English, 'negotiate' is almost always preferred in formal written and spoken communication.
Company structure vocabulary: CEO, CFO, COO, board of directors, shareholder, subsidiary (owned by a parent company), conglomerate, startup, SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), sole trader, partnership, limited company (Ltd), and public limited company (PLC — listed on the stock exchange).