Business English Vocabulary | Business English Pod

BEP 265 – Idioms for Beginnings and Endings (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / February 22, 2015

In this Business English Pod lesson we continue our look at English idioms related to beginnings and endings.

A new year, a new job, a new office, a new project, a new team – all these new things mean exciting beginnings. And beginning something new usually means finishing something else. Every day at work, at home, and at the coffee shop we talk about these changes.

In English, we have lots of useful idioms for talking about the beginnings and endings that make up the changes in work and life. Today, we’ll look at some of these expressions and talk about how to use them.

In the dialog, we will rejoin Henry and Darren, two old colleagues who are sitting down for coffee and talking about life and work. In our last lesson, they focused on family. In today’s dialog, we’ll hear about their work and careers, and they’ll use lots of great idioms about beginnings and endings.

Listening Questions

1. What big career decision has Henry made?
2. Why did Darren leave his former job?
3. What did Darren decide to do after leaving his job?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

BEP 264 – Idioms for Beginnings and Endings (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / February 15, 2015

Welcome back to Business English Pod today’s lesson on English idioms related to beginnings and endings.

When someone asks you about your life or work, what do you talk about? Well, chances are that you talk about changes. You talk about the beginning of new things and the end of old things. That means a new job, a new project, or a new house. Or it means quitting your old job, finishing a big project, or selling the home you’ve lived in for 20 years.

Yes, these changes are what make life and work interesting. And in English we have lots of great idioms related to beginnings and endings. Some expressions are used for daily beginnings and endings, some for huge life changes. Today we’ll look at some of these idioms and how to use them.

You will hear a conversation between two friends, Henry and Darren, who used to work together. Now Darren is on a business trip to Henry’s city and has decided to pay Henry a visit. We’ll hear them talk about life and work, and you’ll hear many idioms related to beginnings and endings in their conversation.

Listening Questions

1. What bad news does Darren talk about?
2. What is Darren’s good news?
3. What does Darren think about Henry’s daughter’s current activities?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

VV 42 – Financial English Vocabulary: Corporate Taxes (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting / February 9, 2015

In this Business English vocabulary lesson, we’ll look at taxes, particularly corporate income tax. We will learn about audits done to ensure compliance with tax laws. And we will also explore exemptions and tax credits, as well as tax breaks and tax shelters. Ultimately, companies try to gain a higher tax rebate or pay less tax overall.

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | MP3 Audio Only

Download: Podcast Video

VV 41 – Financial English Vocabulary: Corporate Taxes (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, English Video, Finance and Accounting / February 3, 2015

In this Video Vocab lesson, we look at financial English vocabulary for taxes, particularly corporate income tax, which US businesses pay to the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. Companies must file a return with the IRS every fiscal year. On their returns, companies declare revenue and capital gains and pay a certain tax rate based on those earnings.

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | MP3 Audio Only

BEP 25c – Travel English: Checking in for a Flight

A2, Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Travel / January 18, 2015

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on checking in for a flight at the airport.

This Business English lesson is part of our new series of fresh takes on some of our older lessons. We’ve kept the same dialog but have new explanations and practice for our lower level learners.

So, imagine you arrive at the airport on the day of your flight. You walk up to the ticket counter to “check in.” What do you say? Well, you need to start by telling the agent you want to check in and give some information about your flight, such as where you are going. You also need to check your “baggage,” or your bags, and perhaps make a polite request for the kind of seat you want.

In fact, it’s important to be polite throughout this conversation, and it’s this polite language and vocabulary that we’ll learn today. And you may find the expressions we learn quite useful in many different travel situations.

In the dialog you’re going to hear a traveler called Robert. Robert is talking to a ticket agent because he wants to check in for his flight. Listen carefully and you will hear Robert and the ticket agent talk about Robert’s destination, his bags, seat, and ticket.

Listening Questions

1. What is Robert’s final destination?
2. How many suitcases does Robert want to check?
3. After checking his bags, what does Robert ask the ticket agent?
4. Where does Robert want to sit on the airplane?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3