Essential Business English Vocabulary and Reported Speech Rules

Essential Business English Vocabulary

Enhance your professional communication with these key terms and expressions used in the workplace.

• Advancement: ascenso
• Aim for: aspirar a, tener como objetivo
• Boom: (estar) en auge, tener mucha demanda
• Booth: estand, caseta (ticket booth: ventanilla, taquilla)
• Cater to: atender / satisfacer (las necesidades de)
• Charge for: cobrar por
• Congratulate on: felicitar / dar la enhorabuena por
• Congratulations: felicidades
• Congratulatory: de felicitación / enhorabuena
• Cope with: hacer frente a, sobrellevar
• Decision-making: toma de decisiones
• Decrease: disminuir, reducir
• Degree: grado, título (universitario)
• Discourage (someone) from: disuadir (a alguien) de
• Dull: aburrido/a
• Engage in: participar en; entablar (conversación)
• Entry-level: de nivel básico
• Fail: fracasar, fallar
• Failure: fracaso
• Field: campo, sector
• First-rate: de primera (categoría), excelente
• Freelancer: trabajador/a autónomo/a / por cuenta propia
• Full-time: (a) tiempo completo / jornada completa
• Hardworking: trabajador/a
• Hire: contratar (a)
• In high demand: muy demandado/a / solicitado/a
• Straightforward: sincero/a, directo/a
• Substitute for: sustituir a
• Think outside the box: pensar de forma diferente / creativa
• Trustworthy: fiable, (digno/a) de confianza
• Widespread: extendido/a, generalizado/a
• Internship: (periodo de) prácticas
• Interpersonal skills: habilidades interpersonales
• Multitasking: realización de varias tareas al mismo tiempo
• Object to: oponerse a
• On the job: en el trabajo, trabajando
• Overtime: horas extra(s)
• Position: puesto (de trabajo)
• Praise for: alabar / elogiar por
• Present with: entregar… a, hacer entrega de… a
• Quit: renunciar, abandonar
• Range: variedad (a range of: diferentes / una variedad de)
• React to: reaccionar a / ante
• Recruit (n): incorporación / recluta
• Recruit (v): seleccionar; contratar
• Recruitment: contratación, reclutamiento
• Remark (n): comentario, observación
• Remark (v): comentar, hacer una observación
• Remarkable: extraordinario/a, sorprendente
• Remind (someone) of: recordar (alguien) a
• Result in: llevar a, tener como resultado
• Reward (n): recompensa, premio
• Reward (v): recompensar, premiar
• Rewarding: gratificante
• Room for advancement: posibilidad de ascenso
• Screen: investigar los antecedentes (de)
• Self-employed: autónomo/a, que trabaja por cuenta propia
• Shift: turno
• Specialise in: especializarse / estar especializado/a en
• Staff: plantilla, personal
• Witness: ser testigo de, presenciar; ver

Reported Speech: Grammar and Structures

Reported speech (or indirect speech) is used to communicate what someone else said without using their exact words. This usually requires a "backshift" in tenses.

1. Statements

Structure: Subject + SAID / TOLD + (person) + (THAT) + Subject + Verb (backshift) + Complement

Direct: "I love these shoes over here," he said.
Reported: He said that he loved those shoes over there.

2. Questions

A. WH- Questions (Open questions)

Structure: Subject + introductory verb (ASKED / QUESTIONED / WANTED TO KNOW) + (person) + WH- word + Subject + Verb (backshift) + Complement

Direct: He asked Susan: "How old are you?"
Reported: He asked Susan how old she was.

B. Yes/No Questions (Closed questions)

Structure: Subject + introductory verb (ASKED / QUESTIONED / WANTED TO KNOW) + (person) + IF / WHETHER + Subject + Verb (backshift) + Complement

Direct: He asked Mary: "Do you like this jacket?"
Reported: He asked Mary if she liked that jacket.

3. Orders and Commands

Structure: Subject + introductory verb (ORDERED / ASKED / COMMANDED) + person + TO / NOT TO + Verb (infinitive)

Direct: Sheila asked Jin: "Come here!"
Reported: Sheila asked Jin to come there.

Direct: Sheila asked Jin: "Come here and don't be late!"
Reported: Sheila asked Jin to come there and not to be late.

4. Suggestions

Common triggers: Why don't we...? / How about...? / Let's...

Structure: Subject + SUGGESTED + (Verb-ing) OR (THAT + Subject + Verb*)

Direct: Anna suggested: "Let's go to that party on Friday."
Reported (Option 1): Anna suggested going to the party on Friday.
Reported (Option 2): Anna suggested that we go (or went) to the party on Friday.

Tense Backshift Reference Table

• Present Simple → Past Simple
  He says, "I work." → He said he worked.
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
  She says, "I am reading." → She said she was reading. (am/is/are → was/were)
• Past Simple → Past Perfect Simple
  He said, "I saw her." → He said he had seen her. (had + V3)
• Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
  They said, "We were talking." → They said they had been talking. (was/were -ing → had been -ing)
• Present Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple
  I said, "I have finished." → I said I had finished. (have/has + V3 → had + V3)
• Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
  She said, "I have been working." → She said she had been working. (have been -ing → had been -ing)

Modal Verbs Changes

• Will → Would
• Can → Could
• Must → Had to
• Shall → Should
• May → Might or Could

Time and Place Expressions

• This → That
• These → Those
• Now → Then / At that moment
• Today → That day
• Tonight → That night
• Yesterday → The day before / The previous day
• Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
• Last week → The week before
• Next week → The following week
• Ago → Before / Previously
• Here → There