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00:00[Music] Hello everyone and welcome back to podcast by Mr. B. I'm Mr. B and I'm so happy to be here with you all today. Morning Mr. B. How are you today? Morning Anna. I'm good, thanks. Little sleepy though. I stayed up late last night reading a report. Oh no, another long night. Yeah, the monthly report was so long, but I learned some new words from it, so that's good.

00:41That's a nice way to see it. Well, let's get some coffee first. Good idea. I can't start work without coffee. Me, too. Oh, by the way, happy Monday. [Laughter] Happy Monday indeed. Another busy week ahead. Yes, but we can do it one task at a time. Right. So, what's your plan for today? I'll check my emails first, then review the new project proposal.

01:12You same here. I need to reply to a few emails and prepare for our team meeting. Perfect. Let's do that together. We can talk about useful English phrases for emails while we work. Sounds great. typing sounds fade in. Okay, let's start with this. How do you usually begin a professional email in English? I usually write hi and the person's name like hi John.

01:44That's good. Hi John or hello Sarah are both friendly and professional. What about dear? I see that sometimes too. Dear is more formal. You can use it when writing to someone you don't know well or to your boss or a client. For example, dear Mr. Smith or dear Miss Lee. Got it. So, hi is friendly. Dear is formal.

02:14Exactly. And what if I don't know the person's name? You can say dear sir or madam or to whom it may concern. But that's very formal. If you can, it's always better to find the name of the person you are writing to. Makes sense. Now, after the greeting, you should start with a short polite sentence. Something like, I hope you are well.

02:39Or, I hope you are having a good day. Oh, yes. I've seen that before. I hope you are doing well. Exactly. It's friendly and polite. So, for example, hi Anna, I hope you're doing well. I wanted to ask about the new project schedule. Perfect. That sounds natural. Great. What about ending the email? At the end, you can say things like best regards, kind regards, thanks, or thank you.

03:10I usually write thanks. That's fine for most situations, especially if you know the person. But if it's formal, kind regards is better. Okay, I'll remember that. Sometimes I don't know how to ask something politely, like how do I say, "Send me the file without sounding rude." Good question.

03:36Instead of send me the file, you can say, "Could you please send me the file?" Or, "Would you mind sending me the file?" Ah, that sounds more polite. Yes. Using could you please or would you mind makes it sound gentle. So instead of check this report, I can say could you please check this report? Exactly.

04:03That's perfect English for work. Thanks Anna. You're a great teacher even at work. I'm just sharing what I learned from my emails. Oh look, I just got a new email from our manager. What does it say? H it says, "Team, please review the attached report and share your feedback by end of day. Regards, David." That's a short, clear message. Yeah.

04:34So, I should reply something like, "Hi, David. Thanks for sharing the report. I'll review it and send my feedback soon." Perfect reply. Polite and clear. I like simple messages like that. Me, too. Clear English is always best. Short sentences, no big words. You know, sometimes I worry my emails sound too short. Don't worry.

04:59As long as you're polite and clear, it's fine. Okay. Maybe you can help me check one of my drafts. Sure. Show me. Here's one I wrote. Hi, Lisa. Send the sales report today. Thanks, Mr. B. Um, that's clear, but a little too direct. Let's make it softer. Try this. Hi, Lisa. Could you please send me the sales report today? Thanks a lot, Mr. B.

05:27Okay. Oh, yes, that sounds friendlier. Always remember, could you please is your magic phrase at work. Got it. My magic phrase. Okay, let's take a short coffee break. Good idea. You want sugar? Just a little. Thank you. So, how long have you been working here, Anna? 2 years now. Time flies. Wow.

05:57Really? You must know everyone by now. Almost. I love the people here. Everyone's friendly. Yeah, the team is nice. Sometimes I'm still shy to talk in English, though. That's normal, but the more you talk, the easier it gets. You don't need perfect grammar. Just be friendly and clear. That's true. I'll try to speak more with co-workers. Good plan.

06:21Speaking of co-workers, do you have some useful phrases for small talk at work? Sure. We often start with something simple like, "How was your weekend?" or "Did you watch the game last night?" or "How's your day going?" Ah, yes. People ask me that sometimes. I usually just say good. That's fine.

06:42You can also say pretty good. Not bad. Busy, but good. Busy, but good. That's my favorite. Yeah, that's the truth for most of us. How do I keep the conversation going after that? You can ask back and you or how about you? Or say something about work. I'm working on the new report today or what are you working on? Oh, okay.

07:09So, if you say, "How's your day?" I can answer, "It's good. I'm working on the project plan. How about you?" Perfect. That's exactly how native speakers talk at work. You know, sometimes I just say, "Hi," and walk away because I don't know what to add. That's okay. Just add one short question or comment. For example, hi, it's cold today, isn't it? Or, "Hi, you look busy today.

07:34" Oh, yeah. Weather always a safe topic. Exactly. Everyone loves talking about weather. Okay, let's do a quick practice. Pretend we meet near the coffee machine. All right. Acting. Hi, Anna. Hey, Mr. B. How's your morning so far? Pretty good. Just checking emails. How about you? Busy, but good. Busy, but good.

07:57We sound like real co-workers now. Because we are. Speaking of emails again, do you know how to write a polite reminder? Like when someone doesn't reply to my email? Oh, yes. That's very common. You can say, "Hi, name. Just following up on my previous email. Could you please share an update when you have time?" Oh, that's nice. Not pushy, just polite.

08:21Exactly. You're not demanding. You're just checking politely. And if it's urgent, then you can say, "Hi, name. I just wanted to check if you had a chance to look at my previous email. We need the information by date. That's useful. I'll write that down. Remember, polite, clear, short. What about when we send attachments? I never know what to write.

08:42Easy. Just say, "Please find attached the report." Or, "I've attached the file for your reference." Oh, I always wrote I send you the file. That's okay. But in business English, we usually say attached. Got it? Please find attached. Sounds more natural. You know what? I'll try to write an example now. Go ahead.

09:07Okay. Hi, Anna. I hope you're doing well. Please find attached the new report. Could you please review it? Thanks and kind regards, Mr. B. That's perfect, Mr. B. Clear, polite, and professional. Yay. Huh? My first professional email in perfect English. You're doing great. All right. I think we have our team meeting in 10 minutes.

09:34Oh, yes. The Monday catchup, right? Are you ready for it? Kind of. I still get nervous speaking in meetings. Don't worry. Today, let's practice some easy English you can use in meetings. Good idea. When the meeting starts, the leader usually says something like, "Good morning, everyone." or let's get started. Okay.

09:58And what can I say when it's my turn to speak? You can say today I'd like to talk about or I have an update on Oh, that's useful. I have an update on the project plan. Perfect. Simple and clear. What if I want to agree with someone in the meeting? You can say, "I agree. That's a good point." Or, "I think you're right." Easy.

10:23And if I don't agree, be polite. You can say, "I see your point, but or I understand, but I think that sounds very polite." Yes. Always polite, never too strong. Okay, I'll try that in today's meeting. Great. You'll do fine. By the way, sometimes I don't understand what people say in meetings. What should I do? Don't worry, that's normal.

10:48You can say, "Sorry, could you repeat that?" Or could you please speak a bit slower? Oh, good. I always just nod and pretend I understand. Yeah, I used to do that, too. But it's better to ask. People are happy to help. True. I'll remember that. Okay, quick question. What do you say when you want to leave a meeting early? H maybe I have to go.

11:12That's okay. But at work, it's better to say, "Sorry, I have another meeting now." or sorry, I have to leave early for another task. Ah, yes, that sounds more professional. Exactly. Wow, we already learned a lot this morning. Greetings, emails, and even meetings. And it's only 10:00 a.m. Busy, but good. There's your new favorite phrase again.

11:36Always.

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