Useful Business Language Expressions
Apologizing
I'm sorry.
I made a mistake.
Please accept my apologies.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . .
(I'm) sorry. I didn't realize that . . . .
That's okay.
No problem.
Prefacing bad news
I'm sorry (I have) to tell you this, but . . .
I hate to tell you this, but . . .
I don't know how to tell you this, but . . .
I have some bad news.
(Formal) Written Apologies
We regret to inform you that . . .
Regretfully . . .
Unfortunately . . .
Business Introductions
Informal
This is my boss, Mr. Stratford.
Jared, this is my secretary, Barbara.
Good to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
I'd like you to meet my co-worker, Collin Beck.
Collin, this is Susan Palmer.
Nice to meet you.
My pleasure.
Have you met, Jason?
Jason, this is Teresa.
Hi, I'm Jill Watson.
I don't believe we've met. I'm Greg.
Formal
I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend, Mrs. Pleasant.
Allow me to introduce myself/my colleague, Ms. Winters
Let me introduce you to my colleague, Dean Richards.
Mr. Richards, this is David Porter from Aerospace Inc.
How do you do?
How do you do?
It's a pleasure meeting you.
Important body language to remember: Smile, eye contact, firm handshake.
Describing Business Activities
What do you do at ABC Company?
I am in charge of marketing.
I'm responsible for sales.
I program computers.
I recruit and train employees.
What does your company do?
We design software.
We build storage units.
We produce small appliances.
We're in the insurance business.
Describing Products
Tell me about (this product)
What can you tell me about (this product)?
Can you give me some information/details about this?
What is special/unique about this?
What are the specifications?
Let me tell you about . . .
This is our (newest) product.
This is one of our latest designs.
It is made of . . .
It can be used for . . .
You can use it to . . .
You can . . . with...