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925 English Lesson 41 – Phrasal Verbs for Beginnings

This 925 English lesson will be our first to focus on English phrasal verbs. And we’re going to kick off with some phrasal verbs for talking about beginnings.

If you’re not sure what a phrasal verb is, well I just used one. I said we’re going to “kick off.” “Kick off” is a phrasal verb because it has a verb – “kick” – and a preposition – “off” and when used together the meaning is different from the individual words.

There are hundreds of these little two-word combinations in English. We use them all the time. And their meaning isn’t always clear from the two words they’re made of, so it’s a great idea to study them.

925 English is a series of English video lessons for beginners (CEFR level A2). With 925 English you can learn business English expressions and phrasal verbs for business and work.

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BEP 386 – English Idioms about Spending Money (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting / May 8, 2022

Welcome back to Business English Pod for another look at English idioms related to spending money.

Think of the people close to you, particularly your family members, and consider how they spend money. Does everyone have the same approach? Or do they all handle things differently? Chances are, you can easily think of differences in peoples’ approaches to money management. And it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that money is one of the top sources of conflict in a relationship.

This is true in business just as it is in families. How a company uses its financial resources is a huge strategic concern. Does the company risk some to get some? Or does the company favor saving and safety? And does the short-term strategy differ from the long-term strategy? These are all important questions, and it’s no wonder that English has so many idioms to talk about how people spend money.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Shelly, Martin, and Vince, three managers at a tech company. They are talking about how their company should spend money on staffing. And as we’ll hear, they don’t really agree on the best approach. During their conversation, they use many business English idioms related to spending money. See if you can spot some of these as we go through the dialog, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Martin say about companies that already work in the sector they are considering?
2. How does Martin describe office space on the south side of the city?
3. How does Vince describe the company’s possible future situation of having lots more money to spend?

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BEP 385 – English Idioms about Spending Money (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting / April 24, 2022

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English idioms related to spending money.

As a wise person once said: it takes money to make money. In other words, you need to invest money and spend it in order to make more. On the other hand, spending money unwisely can eat into your profits. So, from both perspectives, figuring out how to spend money is one of the keys to business success.

And it should come as no surprise that spending money is a common topic of conversation in any business. It’s not just the folks in the purchasing department who think about it. Everyone has an opinion about how their company should and shouldn’t commit its resources. And for this reason, English has many idioms we use to describe the different approaches to spending money.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear a conversation between three managers at a tech company: Shelly, Martin, and Vince. The company has just landed a big new project, and so they anticipate having more money to spend soon. But the three aren’t all in agreement about how they should spend that money and they use many different idioms to express their opinions. Try to pick out some of these business English idioms as you listen, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. According to Martin, what approach to spending is now in the past?
2. What does Vince believe about competing in a new and different sector of the market?
3. How does Martin describe the salaries of the two positions they previously discussed hiring?

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925 English Lesson 40 – Expressing Support in English

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video / April 10, 2022

In today’s 925 English lesson, we’re going to learn how to express support for an idea in English.

In business, it’s very important to be able to express your ideas confidently. That doesn’t just mean coming up with new ideas. It can also mean expressing what you think about other people’s ideas. In our last lesson, we learned how to express doubt. Today, we’re going to look at the other side, and talk about how to express support for an idea.

Now, sometimes you want to show moderate support, or just a bit of support. In this situation, you can use expressions like “I guess” or “I suppose” before stating your support. And when you state your support, you might use expressions like “I can see your point” or “That’s a good way to look at it.”

925 English is a series of English video lessons for beginners (CEFR level A2). With 925 English you can learn business English expressions and vocabulary for business and work.

Members: PDF Transcript | Lesson Module | Quiz | Video

Download: Podcast MP3

Skills 360 – Managing Virtual Teams (2)

Business English, Business Skills 360, Management English / March 27, 2022

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on managing virtual teams.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of doubts about whether people could be truly productive working from home. Well, guess what we discovered when workplaces went virtual? People are not just as productive while working remotely, many are more productive. With no travel time, back-to-back meetings, and less time at the water cooler, many people get more done working from home.

That doesn’t mean we never have to worry about accountability for remote workers. But measures to ensure accountability have to be counterbalanced by systems that allow workers some autonomy and control over their workflow. Post-pandemic, many workers are simply unwilling to return to a rigid style of management. So we need to find the sweet spot between structure and flexibility. And we need to support that balance with the right technology and systems.

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