Shadowing Practice: Workplace English: Stop Being So Formal! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, everyone.
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Welcome back to High Level Listening, our English learning podcast where you learn real, everyday English that actually helps you sound more natural and confident, especially at work.
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I'm Kat, your American English teacher.
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And I'm Mark, the British English teacher here at High Level Listening.
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And today we're going to talk about a problem we hear from a lot of our business English students, and that is using English that sounds too formal.
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Right.
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A lot of learners, especially if you're at a B1 or a B2 level, you're taught this very high level textbook vocabulary, which is great for expanding your vocabulary.
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But in business English textbooks, they don't always tell you what's appropriate to use just talking to your coworkers.
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So in real English speaking offices, that super formal way of speaking can kind of to sound too serious, too stiff, or even a little old-fashioned.
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Yeah, so if you've received the same feedback from work or you've been having trouble communicating with your English-speaking colleagues,
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in today's episode we'll show you how to fix it by showing you some overly formal sentences,
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ones that you might see in very official announcements or official business English books, and then we'll give you some friendlier alternatives that are much more personal and will help you build relationships with your English colleagues much more quickly.
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And if you never want to forget a word, we have a professionally organized list of all the phrases today.
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Come check out our Business English Study Pack.
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It comes with PDF transcripts, vocabulary and phrases lists, and other dialogues and helpful materials that will help you feel more comfortable and confident in your business English skills.
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You can check that out in the link below.
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So here's the first example of an overly formal message.
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I would like to inquire about the status of the report.
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Oh, oh, you would like to, okay.
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You would like to inquire about this?
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Oh, right, right.
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Now, if someone said this to me at the office, I would feel a little, oh, okay, fancy.
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I'll get that to you right away.
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But it would almost kind of come as a shock a little bit,
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especially if you're just another co-worker you're just another guy that works with me at the office remember in american
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and in british culture business is often about building relationships and using this language i would like to inquire that that's way too formal it can feel a little cold so the word here mostly inquire
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is too way too serious another good phrase that you might use instead just checking in on something So you could say, just checking in on the status of the report.
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Just checking in on the status of the report.
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The word I disappears and it actually becomes more friendly and it's still appropriate for work.
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Just checking in on the status of the report.
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Hey, good morning.
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Just checking in on the report for tomorrow.
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Very casual, very friendly.
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We're on the same level here.
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Very easygoing.
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All right, we've got example number two of something that is way too formal.
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I kindly request your assistance with this matter.
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Oh, do you now?
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Okay.
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Yes, Your Highness, I will help you.
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Yes, please.
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I kindly request your assistance with this matter.
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You there.
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Yes.
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So again, we are mainly focusing on things that you would say to colleagues at the same level as you.
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And if you use very high tone or high register vocabulary, like I kindly request your assistance,
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it can sound like you think you are above your colleagues, maybe superior to them, and you're talking down to them, which is not good for the relationship.
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You might come across as a bit rude, arrogant, or just a bit strange, like you don't want to be close with them.
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So instead of, I kindly request your assistance, a much friendlier way is, would you be able?
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That's, I kindly request, would you be able?
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And your assistance is, give me a hand.
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Give me a hand.
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So together, would you be able to give me a hand with this?
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And another way to ask someone for help, don't just say help, help.
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Would you be able to help me out?
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Help me out kind of is like, I don't necessarily need the help.
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I'm not dying.
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Help me, help me.
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But it would be nice if you could take a moment and help me out.
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So would you be able to help me out with this?
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Okay, another example that's overly formal.
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I'm writing to inform you that the meeting has been postponed.
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Okay, now this sentence is not wrong.
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It's not even that formal, but it sounds like I don't know this person.
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This sounds like a very formal official announcement.
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We are writing to inform you.
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I am writing to inform you.
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It almost sounds like I've never met this person before.
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Maybe there's somebody in the office that is very high up the level, you know, high up in the company, and I've never met them before.
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So it kind of makes sense that they would be so formal.
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But if this was coming from, you know, my office mate or somebody just that was working in the cube next to me, I would be like, oh, I'm writing to inform you, huh?
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Right.
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Very old fashioned.
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So a little bit more of a friendly version might be just letting you know.
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I am writing to inform you.
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Just letting you know.
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Hey, just letting you know.
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Again, it's another example where we don't say, I am just.
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Start with just.
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Just letting you know, the meeting's been pushed back.
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Postponed is quite a formal phrase.
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When you're talking to colleagues, pushed back has the same meaning.
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So just letting you know, the meeting's been pushed back.
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The meeting's been postponed.
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The meeting's been pushed back.
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Or the meeting's been moved.
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to a later date.
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Hey, just letting you know, the meeting's been moved to a later date.
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We have another example for you.
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I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with your feedback.
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I can't even say it.
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I can't even say it.
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It's almost too long.
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Okay, I'll try it again.
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I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with your feedback.
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back.
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You saw, that was hard for me to say because it feels so formal.
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There's way too many words going on.
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I can't imagine one of my students trying to memorize each single little word.
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So let's start with the word greatly.
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Greatly.
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Let's just change it to really.
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We can keep the rest of it.
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I would change it to I'd greatly change it to really.
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I'd really appreciate it.
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I'd really appreciate.
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Yeah, the word appreciate is totally fine in formal and casual English.
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The words greatly and kindly also have this kind of old-fashioned feel that is not personal at all.
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Another phrase that's a bit too formal is provide me.
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Provide me again sounds a little bit high, too high.
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If we're talking to teammates or colleagues, your thoughts, your feedback.
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So altogether, I'd really appreciate your feedback on this.
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Hey, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this.
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Feedback is a really good word, especially for someone above you, maybe a mentor, a boss, a manager, things like that.
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I'd really appreciate your feedback.
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But if you're just talking to somebody who's on the same team and you just want them to look at it or give them, give their opinion, hey, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this.
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Okay, another example that is quite formal, maybe too formal.
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I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
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That sounds very formal.
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That sounds like a kind of one size fits all the, you know, if you're, if there's some construction at the airport.
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We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, right?
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It sounds a bit robotic.
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So simply enough, I apologize.
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Sorry.
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Oh, sorry.
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For any inconvenience.
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Sorry for the trouble.
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Sorry for the trouble.
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This really does sound like, oops, my bad.
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Sorry for the trouble.
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Thanks for understanding.
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The thanks for understanding wasn't really in the first formal sentence, but it is a very, very natural way to continue that.
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Oh, sorry.
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Thanks for understanding.
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Yeah, it's a good phrase to use in the office.
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Thanks for understanding.
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Another good phrase that we like is, I appreciate your patience.
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Sorry for the trouble.
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I appreciate your patience.
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This is a really good way of turning a possible mistake into a compliment for the other person so they don't feel as angry or upset and you still look very professional and mature as well.
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So yes, I appreciate your patience.
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Sorry I'm a bit late.
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I appreciate your patience.
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That's the perfect one.
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Sometimes I won't even say sorry.
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I'll just be like, hi, everyone.
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I appreciate your patience.
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I'm here now.
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Let's move on.
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Especially for little tiny things.
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I don't always feel like you need to say sorry all the time.
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All right.
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This one's a pretty good one because it's got lots of great vocabulary that we just never use.
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I am unable to attend the meeting due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Wow.
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Okay.
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That just makes me want to know what happened.
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Wow.
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This sounds so mysterious and vague, right?
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Yes.
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There's lots of longer words in here that can be shortened to make a little bit friendlier.
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I am unable.
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I am unable sounds very written and again sounds like an announcement and you're not expecting a response or expecting a reply.
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If my colleague said this to me, I would say, Okay, why did you say it like that?
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I'm right here.
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Instead of I am unable, I can't.
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Simple, I can't.
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The original sentence was I'm unable to attend the meeting.
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Instead of attend a meeting, make the meeting.
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If you make the meeting, you go to the meeting, you join it and you attend it.
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So I can't make the meeting.
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That sounds like a message I would hear from a teammate who knows me and we have a good relationship.
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Last part, unforeseen circumstances.
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Yes, sounds like you got picked up by a tornado or something really extreme happened.
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In real life, it's probably something smaller, a little incident, an emergency, a delay, unforeseen circumstances.
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Something's come up.
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That something has come up, which is more common in British English, the present perfect.
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So I can't make the meeting, something's come up.
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I like that.
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So yes, I'm unable to attend a little bit too much.
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I can't join today.
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I'm so sorry, I can't join today.
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Something unexpected instead of unforeseen.
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We often use the word unexpected, like, oh, that's a surprise to me.
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That was unexpected.
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Something unexpected came up.
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I like what Mark said that when in British English, they tend to use the present perfect more often.
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This is a good example.
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I would say something came up.
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I'm so sorry.
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Something unexpected came up.
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It just showed up.
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It just came up.
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Mark would probably say something has come up.
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Don't worry.
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Both of them are perfectly acceptable.
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Whatever feels comfortable for you.
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But that is one of the cultural differences between American English and British English.
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Okay.
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For example, of an overly formal message, please be advised that the deadline has been extended.
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Please be advised that the deadline has been extended.
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This one is a really good example, just like what Mark said, that you would hear this kind of at the airport in a very hard to hear speaker announcement, please be advised that the deadline has been extended.
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And why do they do that?
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They speak really formally, trying to make sure that nothing is misunderstood.
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But at the same time, there's no warmth.
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You know, there's no connection to the people.
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Remember, it's just an announcement.
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It's almost a robotic recording.
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I'm not supposed to answer back.
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So if you kind of want a more friendly tone, hey, just a heads up.
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Hey, like I'm giving you an update or hey, this is kind of important.
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Hey, Just a heads up.
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And then we can keep the rest of the sentence the same.
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The deadline's been extended.
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Another example.
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Just a heads up.
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The deadline got pushed back.
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Pushed back.
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Similar to moved back that we heard before.
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It's been delayed, postponed.
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Just a heads up.
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The deadline got pushed back.
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Now it's at 3pm.
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Okay, here's another one that's kind of funny and sounds a little old-fashioned.
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I would be most grateful if you could confirm your availability.
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Mark, please.
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Most grateful.
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I would be most grateful if you could confirm your availability mark please i would be most grateful the most appreciative yes um this
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sounds like something you know we'd probably hear on bridgerton or you'd hear in kind of uh some sort of 1900 period drama period drama exactly i I would be most grateful.
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I would be most grateful.
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Honestly, I would appreciate it.
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I would appreciate it, right?
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I would be most grateful.
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But I'll be honest, it's a little too far.
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You're just telling me when you're free.
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You're just telling me when you're available.
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So we're going to kind of skip the niceties and we're just going to say, hey, let me know.
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Let me know what days work best for you.
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Yeah, it may be something different from your culture, but in American and British offices, if you have a request for information, if you need something from your colleagues, you can be quite direct and it still won't be rude.
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So I would be most grateful if is super, super polite, but it just isn't necessary to still have a good working relationship.
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So you can be a bit more direct.
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Let me know.
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Hey, let me know.
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In writing or in speaking, So let me know which days work best for you.
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It's not even a question.
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It's a statement.
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Let me know which days work best for you.
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That's still perfectly acceptable.
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All right, here's another sentence that would be overly formal.
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Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Even when I read this, I do like a certain voice that's very like high, superior.
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should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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That is way too much.
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So another way that we could say, should you require any further information?
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Simply, if you need anything else.
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Hey, if you need anything else.
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The last part, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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This translates really well from some languages, we just don't use it as often.
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So here we go again.
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Just let me know.
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Just let me know.
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If you need anything else, just let me know.
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And another friendly variation, if you have any other questions.
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So instead of further information, the word further is very formal.
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Further inquiries, further information, further details, super formal.
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Instead, other questions, other information.
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If you have any other questions, just let me know.
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All right.
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And our last one for today, something that's a little bit formal.
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I will endeavor to complete the task at my earliest convenience.
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Endeavor.
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Complete the task.
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My earliest convenience.
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So really, one of the best ways if your boss sends you a message and needs something done right away, I need this.
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I need this project.
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I need this email.
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I need this information, this research.
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Sure.
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I'll get this done as soon as I can.
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I will get this done as soon as I can.
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Yes, we like to use the word get in English.
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Another way to say send to your boss or send to someone is get this to you.
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I'll get this to you.
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I'll email it to you.
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I'll send it to you.
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But most casually, I'll get this to you.
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So I'll get this to you as soon as I can.
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Okay, so those are our examples and our friendly alternatives.
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If you have been taught or have been using the formal, the super formal examples, or you've read them somewhere or read them in English textbooks,
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don't worry because they're not wrong, but they just don't sound as warm, as friendly or as natural in English speaking workplaces as they could.
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If you'd like to get all of these phrases in a nicely organized PDF, check out our Business English bundle with transcripts, vocabulary lists, and extra dialogues from all of our business English videos.
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Yes, you can find them in the link in the description below.
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Thank you very much for watching and we will see you again for another episode on high-level listening very, very soon.
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Bye-bye.
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you
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau C1 is gebaseerd op de video “Workplace English: Stop Being So Formal!”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: formal, English, sound, appreciate, word. Deze video bevat 295 zinnen en 2841 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 18:57. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 150 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 85% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| colleague zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | collega, medewerker |
| vocabulary zelfstandig naamwoord | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | woordenschat, vocabulaire |
| kindly bijwoord | /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ | vriendelijk, beminnelijk |
| postpone werkwoord | /pəʊstˈpəʊn/ | uitstellen, verschuiven |
| unforeseen bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˌʌnfɔːˈsiːn/ | onvoorzien |
| circumstance zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ | omstandigheid |
| inconvenience zelfstandig naamwoord | /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/ | ongemak, verstoring |
| textbook zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/ | studieboek, handboek |
| hesitate werkwoord | /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/ | aarzelen |
| endeavor zelfstandig naamwoord | /ɛnˈdɛv.ɚ/ | inspanning, ijveren |
| teammate zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈtiːmˌmeɪt/ | ploeggenoot, teammaat |
| organize werkwoord | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | organiseren |
| convenience zelfstandig naamwoord | /kənˈvinjəns/ | wanneer het goed uitkomt |
| memorize werkwoord | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | memoriseren, uit het hoofd leren |
| misunderstand werkwoord | /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/ | misverstaan |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| check out werkwoord | onderzoeken |
| come across werkwoord | overkomen |
| pick up werkwoord | oppakken, optillen |
| show up werkwoord | tentoonstellen |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- You would like to inquire about this?
- I'll get that to you right away.
- We're on the same level here.
- That's, I kindly request, would you be able?
- Would you be able to help me out?
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — iets dat eerder begon en nog bezig is | you've been having · have been using |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | you've received · has been postponed · I've never met |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | has been postponed · been pushed · been postponed |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | vocabulary, which is · them, which is |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 86 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, you're, don't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: warmth /wɔɹmθ/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: appreciative /əˈpɹi.ʃətɪv/, shorten /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/, casually /ˈkæʒuəli/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, inconvenience /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/, appreciative /əˈpɹi.ʃətɪv/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/, organize /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/, appreciative /əˈpɹi.ʃətɪv/, memorize /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, circumstance /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/, transcript /ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/, casually /ˈkæʒuəli/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/, organize /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/, arrogant /ˈæɹəɡənt/, vague /veɪɡ/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als colleague, vocabulary, kindly.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.