Business emails and documents | Interactive English lesson

Learn business English, practice replying to emails, and learn American business jargon in this free English lesson

Business English is more formal than casual English. It also includes some special words and phrases.

In this intermediate English lesson, we'll practice reading and responding to business emails. We'll also learn corporate English vocabulary and practice looking through business documents.

Let's get started.

Part one: Respond to an email from your boss using business English

You work at a tech company. Read your boss's email and choose the best response. (Make sure you use proper corporate English vocabulary!)

First, read this key business English vocabulary:

Consulting — Asking for or giving professional advice. "I consulted an investor to learn about saving money for retirement."
CRM system — Customer relationship management: A computer system (website, software, etc.) that helps a business manage interactions with customers. "My company sells books. We use a CRM to save customers' email addresses and remember what they purchased."

Part two: Help your colleague using corporate English

Your colleague needs help finding 2 documents. Read their email and choose the correct documents to send them.

First, read this corporate English vocabulary:

Revenue — The total money generated by a company. "Our revenue was $28.6 million in 2025."
Liabilities — Money a company owes to other businesses, banks, people, etc. "Currently, we have $500,000 in liabilities, mostly in the form of business loans."
Annual report — A document that usually has information like total revenue, profit, and other financial/business details for a year. "Our annual report shows a profit of just under $19 million."
Profit — The money left over after subtracting expenses from revenue, like debt and operating costs. "Our revenue was $28.6 million in 2025. After subtracting $10 million in expenses, our profit was $18.6 million."

Part three: Test your knowledge

Review the business English vocabulary you learned in this lesson. Answer each question by saying the answer out loud or writing down your answers, then click/tap to reveal the correct answer.

True or false: "Hey" is a more formal greeting in business emails

False, "Hey" sounds more casual.

True or false: Businesses use CRM systems to keep track of customers

True!

What does an annual report usually include? Name 3 things.

Possible answers:

Revenue
Profit
Expenses
Debt
Liabilities

What is revenue? Describe it in your own words.

Example answer:

"Revenue is the total money generated by a company."

Hello! I'm Hunter

I'm a TEFL-Certified English teacher from the USA. I've helped hundreds of students learn English as a foreign language through my private online lessons. Book a class to practice today!

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