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CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter one : Basic English / An Overview
Chapter two : On the Job
Chapter three : On the Company
Chapter four : On the Money
Conclusion
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Introduction

Welcome to Business English –a short course for anyone involved in business studies
or interested just on Business. This course is designed speciffically to improve your
ability to speak and practice effectively the english language related to Business.
Learning about company life and the language we use in the work place.
The course foucuses on job skills and describes more business strategies will help
students to be sussfull at work. How to talk about work, how to describe a company,
its organisation and its development ? How to talk about market, money and so one.
Thanks to the Oxford’s New Enghish File and the Cambridge Academic English
series, we have decided to overcome the luck of English materials in the Congolese
education system by composing this course and offerering it to the students and
professors.
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Chapter one
BASIC ENGLISH
An overview

This chapter focuses on the general basic English in order to remind to the learners
what they may have already forgotten. It will be about greetings, presentation,
numbers and grammar.

Lesson 1
 A. Greetings
You can use formal or informal English to introduce yourself and greet colleagues or
friends, depending on the situation and the people you are meeting. English uses a
variety of polite phrases for introducing yourself and greeting friends or superiors.
Example1.
Good morning. My name is Albert Kabasele. ↔ Hello, Ben. My name’s Agnes
Kapinga
This is a formal greeting. You can also say : ‘Good afternoon’ and ‘Good evening’.
Example2.
Hi, I’m Lee. ↔ Hi Lee, I’m John.
This is an informal greeting.
Formal Informal
Hello (salut) Hi (salut)
Good morning -Bonjour Hey
Good afternoon –Bon après midi
Good evening -Bonsoir
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Fill the gaps using the words in the panel.

Example : It’s good to meet you.
Afternoon pleasure meet I’m name’s too.
1. Hello. My ………………Agnes.
2. Good ………………… .My name is Ben.
3. Hi, Helena. ………………………… Steven.
4. It’s great to meet you, ………………….Steven.
5. It’s …………….. to meet you.

Tell the parts of the day : morning, afternoon, evening.

How do you greet people in the : - morning ? Good morning
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- afternoon ? Good afternoon

- evening ? Good evening
 Introducing other people
You can use polite formal and informal phases to introduce your co-workers to each
other.

 B. Verb to BE (affirmative form)

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 C. Numbers
The easiest way to memorize numbers.
0 zero
1 one 11 Eleven
2 two 12 Twelve
3 three 13 ThirTEEN 30 ThirTY
4 four 14 FourTEEN 40 ForTY
5 five 15 FifTEEN 50 FifTY
6 six 16 SixTEEN 60 SixTY
7 seven 17 SevenTEEN 70 SevenTY
8 eight 18 EighTEEN 80 EighTY
9 nine 19 NineTEEN 90 NineTY
10 ten 20 Twenty 100 One hundred
Practice :
A. What’s your phone number ?
My phone number is 0-8-1-8-5-8-9-8-0-4
Or
-Are you on the phone ? Yes I am
What’s the number ? 0-8-1-8-5-8-9-8-0-4
B. What’s your email adress ?
My email adress is :
[email protected]

* @ : at * . : dot
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Lesson 2

 A. Where are you from ?

I’m from France.
Where in France ? I’m from Paris.
Practice with friends.
 B. Verbe to BE (negative and question)

 C. Countries and nationalities

Where are you from ? I’m from DRC. Where in DRC ? I’m from Kinshasa.
What is Kinshasa ? Kinshasa is the capital city of DRC.
France –Frensh
Spain - Spanish
England - English
China - Chinese
Japan - Japanese
Practice in pairs
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LESSON 3

The English Alphabet

Letter Letter name Pronunciation Letter Letter name Pronunciation

A a /eɪ/

B bee /biː/ M em /ɛm/

C cee /siː/ N en /ɛn/

D dee /diː/ O o /oʊ/

E e /iː/ P pee /piː/

F ef (eff as a verb /ɛf/ Q cue /kjuː/

G gee /dʒiː/ R ar /ɑr/

aitch /eɪtʃ/ S ess (es-) /ɛs/

H
haitch /heɪtʃ/ T tee /tiː/

I i /aɪ/ U u /juː/

jay /dʒeɪ/ V vee /viː/

J
jy /dʒaɪ/ W double-u /ˈdʌbəljuː/ in careful speech

K kay /keɪ/ X ex /ɛks/

L el /ɛl/ Y wy or wye /waɪ/

zed /zɛd/
Z
zed /ziː/

Vowels a e I o u

consonants b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x y z

Practice in pairs : - D G J – J G D
/diː/ /dʒiː/ dʒeɪ/
-A E I - I E A
/eɪ/ /iː/ /aɪ/
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Practice with a partner :

A. What’s your name ?

B. My name is Agnes.
A. How do you spell it ?
B. A-G-N-E-S
Days of the week/
How many days has a week ? A week has seven days.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Friday Saturday Sunday
Spell them !

Months of the year

January February March April May Jun
July August September October November December
Spell them !

LESSON 4
 A. Singular and plural nouns
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 B. Possessive adjectives

 C. Personal information.
Do you have brothers and sisters ?
Yes I do. I have one brother and one sister.
How old are they ?
My brother is 20 and my sister is 18.
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Lesson 5
Verbs in English
In English, we have different kind of verbs :
 Auxilary verbs (Be- for continuous tenses/ Have- for perfects tenses / and Do for
putting other verbs in negative and question)
 Modal verbs (can, may, will, etc)
 Regular (love-loved-loved) and irregular (go-went-gone) verbs

I. AUXILIARY VERBS : Be / Have / Do

Auxiliary verbs do not have a specific definition. They ’’ help’’ the main verb of the
sentence.
1. BE / Form continuous tenses.
 Present : AM/IS/ARE / Verb be in simple present + de main verb in ing form.
A temporary action in progress at present : She is currently writing a new book.
Happening now
Time line …
Example : - I’m studying English.
-He’s talking on the phone.
-We’re having dinner now.
 Past : WAS/WERE / Verb be in simple pastt + de main verb in ing form.
Action in progress in the past either :
a) When a shorter action took place
b) At a very precise moment
She was writing that novel when she became ill.

 Future : WILL BE /Verb be in simple futur + de main verb in ing form.

− Tomorrow morning I’ IL be teaching an English class.
 Questions : Word order
− Is he talking on the phone ?
− He is talking on the phone.
− Were you having dinner ?
− We were having dinner.
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2. HAVE / Perfect tenses

 Present perfect : HAVE-HAS / Have in simple present + the past participle of the
main verb
a) With an action verb : A completed action without a specified time in the past.
The following expressions require this tense :
She has already written 40 books.

b) With a state verb, e.g.’to be’,to have’,toknow’ etc.

‘ I have done’ replaces ‘I have beendoing’.

She has been (been being ) a writer for 15 years.

I haveknown (I have been knowing) her since 2010.

 Past Perfect : HAD

Action that was completed in the past either :
a) Before another action took place
b) Before a very precise moment
She had written that novel before she became ill.

He said he had bought the tickets.

 Future Perfect : I will have done, we will have done/ Verb have in Futur + past
participle of the main verb.
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Action that will be completed in the future either :

a) Before a specific moment
b) Before another action takes place

By this time tomorrow, I will have finished this project.

 Questions : Word order
− Have you finished the work ?
− I have finished the work.
− Has she left the office ?
− She has left the office.
− Had he bought the tickets ?
− He had bought the tickets.

3. DO / question and negative statement

 To ask questions :
− Do you like ice cream ?
− Does Bill have a dog ?
− Did you go to the party ?
Do – I, you, we, they
Does—he, she, it
Did—all forms in the past
 Use DO with question words : QUASI
− Where do you live ?
− What time does the bank open ?
− Why did she go home early yester day ?

 Form negative statements :

− I don’t like ice cream.
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− Bill doesn’t have a dog.

− We didn’t go to the partty.

 Avoid this common error :

− Ino like ice cream.*
− I not like ice cream.*
− I don’’t like ice cream.

II. MODAL VERBS

Modal verbs modify the main verb by adding necessity or possibility.
can,could / may, might / must / should / will, won’t and would
 Use CAN/ COULD to express ABILITY/ POSSIBILITY
− I can swim. (I have the ability to swim)
− We could go to the movies. (It’s possible to go to the movies)
− You can’t enter the restricted area.
− He tried to call me, but he couldn’t get through.

 Use MAY/MIGHT to express MAYBE

− We might go camping, depending on the weather.
− I may go to the gym, if I can get off work early.

 Use SHOULD to give a RECOMMENDATION

− If you head hurts, you should go to the doctor.
− He should see that movie. He’d like it.

 Use MUST to express NECESSITY (required)

− You must arrive on time for the exam, otherwise they won’t let you take it.
− You need to/have to/ gotta arrive on time…

 Use WILL/WON’T to express CERTAINTY about the future

− I’ Il help you write the report.
− That software Won’t work. It’s not compatible.

 Use WOULD to express an IMAGINARY situation

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− If I were a millionaire, I Would give a lot of money away.

− Dana would study English if she had more free time.
− If were a millionaire, I’ d give a lot of money away.
− She’d study English if she had more free time.

 Questions : Word Order

− I can swin.
− Can you swin ?
− Could we go to the movies ?
− Yes, we could.
− You should see that movies.
− Should I see that money away.
− I would give money away.
− What would you do ?

III. REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS

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Past Simple : BE

Past simple /Regular verbs

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Past Simple /Irregular verbs

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Telling the time

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Chapter Two
ON THE JOB

This chapter focuses on the language related to job, different kind of job, etc. What do you
do ? Means what’s your job ?

Name jobs and professions/ jobs and places of work

What’s your job ?/ your Father’s job Where do you work ?
I’ m a waiter/waitress In a restaurant
I’m a policeman In the police headquarters/ street
A secretary In an office
A conductor In the theatre
A scientist In a laboratory
A cash assistant In a super market
Atrourist guide In the tourist centre
A lawyer In a law court
A peinter In a studio
Retired I don’t work/ I stay at home

Questions to ask about jobs

Some questions you can ask people about their jobs/ Practice in pairs.

 Do you enjoy/like your job ? Or you could ask !

 Do you have responsability in your job ?
 Do you have a good salary ?
 Does your salary reflect your job ?

Training or education
 Dou you attend training courses ?
 Do you have promotion prospects ?
 Are the working conditions good ?
 Do you meet a lot of people ?
 Is your job creative ?
Some of those are questions you can ask in a conversation. TALKING ABOUT JOBS.
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An artist and a musician

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An employer is a person or company that employs other people.

An employee is a person who works for somebody.
Can you remember the words on this page ? Test yourself or a partner.
Practice these sentenses on work, and build yours.

 Mum has part-time job. She works four hours a day.

 It takes years to get the qualifications you need to become a doctor.
 Jane did a training course at college to become a hairdresser.
 My working hours are 8.00 until 4.00.
 I hate this job. I’m going to resign and look for something else.
 My uncle retired when he was 60, and he does a lot of voluntary work now.
 This job is only temporary. They won’t need me after Chrismas.
 There is water everywhere. We need to call a plumber.
 I think Agnes works in a library.
 Can I speak to the person responsable to repair please.
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Chapter Three
ON THE COMPANY

In this Chapter, we are going to define the company, to describe the language we use
about it in general and its organisation.
What is a company ? A company is a business organization that makes money by
producing or selling goods or services : the largest computer company in the world ;
the National Bus company. She joined the company in 2009.
A. The language used about the company
These are some questions we usually ask about companies :
 The first question we usually ask is about the « Type of the company ». We
say : What type of company is it ?
For example : a multinational, a private, a public, a family company, etc.
 Another question we often ask is about the « Main or the Principal activity ».
so, the question is : what does the company do ? or what is its main activity ?
For example : manufacturing, engineering or production.
 Another question is about the « Employees » That is the name for the people
that work in a company. So, the question could be : how many employees are
there ?
 Another question we often ask is about « Subsidieries or Branches ». Which
are small companies directelly linked to the main company. And the question
could be : Does it have any branches/subsidieries ?
 Another important question is about the « Location ». Where is the company
located ? Where is the company situated ?
And then, we need to know about the products.
 Number of products. So, we could say : how many products does the
company have ? Or, does it have a large product range ?
And the last thing which is very important is the money. When we talk about
the sales, the profit, etc. We talk about turover or revenue. The question is :
 What is the annual turnover ? Or the annual revenue of the company ?
These are typical questions when we are talking about company. Practice in
pairs by comparing two companies.
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B. Company organisation
Companies are usually divided into departments : human resources, finance,
production and marketing.
1. Human resources
It is usually personnel, training (like education), wages and salaries.
Human resources (HR) is the division of a business that is charged with finding,
screening, recruiting, and training job applicants. It also administers employee-benefit
programs.
HR plays a key role in helping companies deal with a fast-changing business
environment and a greater demand for quality employees in the 21st century.
John R. Commons, an American institutional economist, first coined the term human
resource in his book The Distribution of Wealth, published in 1893. However, it was
not until the 20th century that HR departments were formally developed and tasked
with addressing misunderstandings between employees and their employers.

2. Finance
In finance we usually have the areas of purchasing (which is buying things), customers
accounts and other financial services.
So, what is Finance in general ?
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related
with, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution,
and consumption of money, assets, goods and services. Finance activities take place
in financial systems at various scopes, thus the field can be roughly divided
into personal, corporate, and public finance. In a financial system, assets are bought,
sold, or traded as financial instruments, such
as currencies, loans, bonds, shares, stocks, options, futures, etc. Assets can also
be banked, invested, and insured to maximize value and minimize loss. In
practice, risks are always present in any financial action and entities.
A broad range of subfields within finance exist due to its wide
scope. Asset, money, risk and investment management aim to maximize value and
minimize volatility. Financial analysis is viability, stability, and profitability
assessment of an action or entity. In some cases, theories in finance can be tested using
the scientific method, covered by experimental finance. Some fields are
multidisciplinary, such as mathematical finance, financial law, financial
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economics, financial engineering and financial technology. These fields are the
foundation of business and accounting.
The history of finance may begin with the history of money, which is prehistoric.
Ancient and medieval civilizations are known to have done basic finance functions,
such as banking, trading, and accounting. Qualitative finance theories were first
proposed in the 20th century, starting with Louis Bachelier's thesis. In the late 20th
and early 21st century, the global financial system was formed.
An HR department is an essential component of any business, regardless of an
organization's size. It is tasked with maximizing employee productivity and protecting
the company from any issues that may arise within the workforce.
HR responsibilities include compensation and benefits, recruitment, firing, and
keeping up to date with any laws that may affect the company and its employees.

3. Production
In this particular department you have :
-Producing the goods
-Checking the quality
-Doing the packaging, and
-Distributing the goods to the customers.

4. Marketing
In marketing, you advertise the product and you organise sales.
The marketing department is a division of the company with responsibility for the
marketing function. This department aims to sell as many products as possible in a
sustainable manner. The team designs marketing strategies and combines the right
marketing mix to satisfy customer needs and wants. They design the right product at
the right price to the right consumer, at the right place, and at the right time. They are
also responsible for developing promotions and managing long-term relationships with
customers.
The role of the marketing department
The marketing department is responsible for identifying, anticipating, and satisfying
customer needs and wants profitably. The end goal is to make more profit. Fostering
long-term relationships is also another task; thus, money keeps flowing into the
company.
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The marketing department is at the forefront because it interacts directly with

consumers and determines the success or failure of the company in generating
revenue. In addition, this department must also synergize with other departments to
help achieve corporate goals.
Besides playing an important role in promoting products and increasing sales, the
marketing division is also important to introduce the business, thereby generating a
strong corporate image. Moreover, the team reaches not only customers or retailers but
also investors and the community while creating a corporate image in the eyes of these
stakeholders.
The marketing department monitors market trends and identifies consumer needs and
wants. The team then developed a marketing strategy to create more awareness and
purchases by customers. In addition, they perform various tasks and activities such as
market research, test marketing, advertising, and branding.
In general, the marketing function can be associated with managing four marketing
mix variables: product, price, location, and promotion.
Product. The marketing team designs products to meet customer requirements, such
as the core function, quality, size, color, and product packaging. Another role is to map
product positions, develop unique selling propositions, and design product
differentiation/standardization to suit market tastes and demands.
Price. The marketing division sets the right pricing strategy for the products sold.
Various pricing strategies include cost-plus pricing, competition-based pricing, loss
leader pricing, penetration pricing, and zone pricing. Which is the right pricing
strategy? It depends on factors such as market demand, production costs, and
competitor pricing.
Promotion. The marketing division is responsible for informing and persuading
consumers to buy the company’s products. It combines various activities, such as
advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, and
public relations.
Advertisement
Location. The marketing division manages how the product reaches the customer. It
determines which distribution channels are used and how intensively. Thus, the
product is available in the right place and at the right time. It involves choosing the
right channel to market the product, for example, distribution, online purchasing, retail
outlets, or even vending machines.
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Let us describe some activities in these departments and work in pairs to decide
which department the activity is in. For example :
Which department recruits staff ? Means ‘take on staff’. Which one ?
Which department creates an image ?
Which department manufactures and produces the goods ?
Which department pays salaries ?
Which of these departments packs the goods ?
Which of these prepares invoices ? (Invoices : are like the bills you send to customers
or suppliers/ Suppliers : people who can sell you the materiels).
Which department checks the quality of goods ?
Who trains the staff ?
Who dispaches the goods ?
Who does the budget, taxes and investment ?
Who advertises ?
Who purchases (buys) supplies ?
Who plans the method of sales ?
Those are the different departments you find in a large organisation.
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Chapter four
ONE THE MONEY
A. SPEAKING
Discuss in pairs about money.
1. What do you mean by money ?
2. Do you like it ? Why ?
3. « Time is money » what does it mean to you ?
4. Talk about different things you can do with money.
5. Does money give hapiness ?

I. LISTENING
A. Listen to a song about money and complete it with these words. What is
‘Ka-ching’ ?
Afford blow broke credit card earn greedy loan
mall mortage spend
Ka-ching
We live in a 1 _____________ little world that teaches every little boy and girl to 2
_______________ as much as they can possibly, then turn around and spend it
foolishly. We’ve created us a 3 _____________ mess, we 4 ______________the
money that we don’t possess. Our religion is to go and 5 ____________________ it
all,so it’s shopping every Sunday at the 6 __________________ .

Chorus
All we ever want is more, a lot more than we had before. So take me to the nearest
store. Can you ear it ring ? It makes you want to sing. It’s such a beautiful thing –Ka-
ching ! Lots of diamond rings, the hapiness it brings, you’ll live like a king, with lots
of money and things.

When you’re 7 ____________go and get a 8 ________________ . Take out another 9

______________ on your home, consolidate so you can 10 _______________ to go
and spend some more when you get bored.
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Chorus
Ka-ching
B. Now look at words 1-10 in the song and match them with their meanings.
1.______________________(verb) to give or pay money for something.
2.______________________ (noun) money that a person or a bank lends you.
3.______________________ (verb) to have enough money to buy something.
4._______________________(noun) a shopping centre (US).
5.______________________ (adj) having no money (informal)
6.______________________ (noun) a small plastic card you use to buy things.
7.______________________ (verb) to get money by working.
8.______________________ (adj) wanting more money, etc. than you really need.
9.______________________ (verb) to spend a lot of money on something (informal).
10._____________________ (noun) the money a bank lends you to buy a house.

C. Listen again and read the lyrics. What do you think the song is saying ?
1. Money always makes people happy.
2. The world has become obsessed with money.
3. The singer would like to have more money.
Exercices
Test yourself or a partner if you can remember some words (verbs, prepositions and
nouns) related to the money.
a. VERBS : complete with a verb in the correct tense.
Be worth / borrow / can’t afford / charge /cost / earn / inherit / invest / lend
/ owe /save / take out / waste
1. My uncle died and left me £ 2000.
I____________________ £ 2000 from my uncle.
2. I put some money aside every week for my next holiday.
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I_____________________ money every week.

3.I asked my brother to give me £ 10 until next week.
I ____________________ £ 10 from him.
4. My brother gave me £ 10 until next week.
He _________________ me £ 10.
5. I often spend money on stupid things.
I often _____________ money.
6. I don’t have enough money to buy that car.
I _______________to buy that car.
7. I bought a book. It was € 25.
The book ___________ (me) € 25.
8. I went to the cash machine and got € 250.
I _________________€ 250 from the cash macine.

b. PREPOSITIONS : complete the proposition column.

Preposition
1. I paid……the dinner last night. ________
2. When can youp ay me……the money I lent you ? ________
3. Would you like to pay…..cash or….credit card ? ________
4.I don’t like lending money……friends. ________
5. I borrowed a lot of money…. The bank. ________
6. They charged us ¨60…… a bottle of wine. _________
7. I spent50 usd…. Books yestarday. _________

c. NOUNS : match the words and definitions.

cash machine coin loan mortgage note salary tax
1._____________________ A piece of paper money.
2._____________________ A piece of money made of metal.
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3._____________________ Money a person gets for the work he/she does.

4._____________________ Money that you pay to the government.
5._____________________ Money that somebody (or a bank) lends you.
6.______________________Money that you borrow from a bank to buy a house.
7.______________________A machine inside or outside a bank where you can get
money.

READING
-Which of these sentences best describe your attitude to money ?
1. All I want is enough money to enjoy life. (Lisning Oxford academic english)

My life without money

Heidemarie Schwermer, a 63-year-old German woman, has lived without money for
the last ten years, and has written a book about her experiences called My life without
money.
At the age of 54 Heidemarie gave up her job as a psychotherapist, gave away all her
money and her flat and threw away her credit cards. Today, apart from a few clothes
(three sweaters, two skirts, two pairs of shoes, and a coat) and a few personnal
belongings, she doesn’t own anything.
It all began as a one-year experiment. In her home city of Dortmund she set up a
‘swapping circle’ where people swap services without using money, for example, a
haircut for a mathematics class. To prove that this could work she decided to give up
using money for a year/ But when the year ended she continued and has not used
money since then.
At first she house-sat for friends who where on holiday. She stayed in their house in
return for watering the plants and looking after their animals. At the moment she is
staying in a student residence where she can sleep, have a shower, or use a computer in
return for cooking for the young people who live there. She also ‘works’ as a
psychotherapist. ‘Before I treated very wealthy people but now I help anyone who
turns up. Sometimes they give me something in return, but not always’.
Heidemarie says, ‘I can live thanks to my contacts. A lot of people who know me
understand what I’m doing and want to help me. When I need a bus ticket, for
example, or a new tube of toothpaste I think, ‘Who can I ask ?’ What can I give them
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in return ?’ If I want to go to the cinema, I might offer to look after somebody’s

children for the afternoon.
It is one of the mistakes of our society that most people do something they don’t like
just to earn money and spend it on things they don’t need. Many people judge you
according to how much you earn. In my opinion, all jobs are equally important. You
may not earn a lot of money but you may be worth a lot as a person. That’s my
message.
So what did she do with all the money she earned from the sales of My life without
money ?
‘I gave it all away…’
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