Ingles 1 U2

Inglés I
© Escuela Argentina de Negocios

1
Inglés 1.
Índice
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Vocabulary: Companies – Basic Information & Facts ............................................................. 3
1.1 Understanding the essentials of a company ............................................................................. 3
1.2 Useful Words and Expressions for speaking about companies .................................................. 4
2. Grammar: The Present Simple .............................................................................................. 6
2.1 Present Simple – Meanings and Use ........................................................................................ 6
2.2 The Present Simple: Sentence Structure .................................................................................. 6
2.3 The Present Simple: Adverbs of Frequency .............................................................................. 8
3. Language Functions: Introducing yourself at a company meeting, networking event, or a
conference......................................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Relevance and general guidelines .......................................................................................... 10
3.2 Commonly used phrases and expressions .............................................................................. 12
4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 13
5. References ......................................................................................................................... 13
6. Compulsory Bibliography ................................................................................................... 14
02 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

Nota Técnica preparada por la Escuela Argentina de Negocios. Su difusión, reproducción o uso total o
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Inglés 1.
Introduction
Welcome to English I, Unit 1!
After the completion of this unit we will learn new vocabulary related to companies, their basic
facts and information, so we can communicate in real-life situations. We will also learn the
meanings, uses, and grammatical structure of the Present Simple, in order to describe our daily
routine and tasks, as well as those of other people. And finally, we will deepen our knowledge of
the idiomatic expressions and phrases that we commonly use to introduce ourselves or a colleague
within the context of a professional situation, such as a business meeting or a networking event.
1. Vocabulary: Companies – Basic Information & Facts
1.1 Understanding the essentials of a company

It is clear that we live in an era when the line between success and failure in the busi ness world is
getting smaller and smaller. Hundreds of thousands of companies (some of them big multinationals;
some others small family-owned businesses) are constantly competing to reach their targets in
terms of sales and reputation. Many of them, unfortunately, don’t succeed and are forced to shut
down, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.
Within this increasingly competitive and uncertain context, many experts believe that one of the
keys for success is the level of identification and commitment that staff members feel about the
organization they work for. And this is, of course, not possible if the staff don’t know or don’t
understand the basic information about their company. Riordan (2019) makes a list of reasons why
employees must understand very clearly the essential information of the organization they belong
to:
- It strengthens the staff’s ability to “sell”, not just actually sell products or services, but to transmit
the company’s vision and values to existing and potential customers.
- It reinforces the staff’s sense of teamwork, because they all understand they are part of a group
of people working for the same goals.
- It helps each employee feel valued and important, because he / she knows exactly what is expected
of him / her in terms of responsibility and commitment.
- It contributes to the company’s mission and vision, as both staff and management can understand
and explain naturally what these are and how they will work together to achieve them

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- It gives staff members a platform to feel safe when making decisions, which means that employees
can trust they are making the correct decisions, big or small, because they know the key information
about the company and their responsibilities in it.
It is thus clear to see that in order to better understand and perform their individual duties and
tasks, staff members need to know the basic information about the company they work for and its
goals. In other words, mastering the language structures needed to describe this bas ic information
about companies is a fundamental skill.
1.2 Useful Words and Expressions for speaking about companies

Having explained in detail the reasons why staff members need to be able to speak about the basic
information related to their companies, the following chart summarises some of the most useful
words and phrases to bear in mind when in such a communicative situation:
Word or Phrase Definition / Example

Provide To give something to somebody or make it available for them to use.
(We provide excellent services.)
Revenue The money that you make in business or by selling things, especially
after paying the costs involved.
(Our revenues are growing steadily.)
Based in + Place The place where a company has its main office.
(Google is based in California.)
Employee A person who is paid to work for somebody.
(The company has over 3,000 employees.)
Operate To work in a particular way.
(The company operates online.)
Specialize To become an expert in a particular area of work, study or business; to
spend more time on one area of work, etc. than on others.
(Our organization specializes in building computer parts.)
Subsidiary A business company that is owned or controlled by another larger
company.
(WhatsApp is a subsidiary of Meta.)
Competitor A person or an organization that competes against others, especially in
business.
(Our main competitors are based abroad.)
Produce To make things to be sold, especially in large quantities.
(They produce office supplies.)

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Exporter A person, company or country that sells goods to another country.

(We are the main exporter of wood in the country.
You can watch this video to listen to and learn the pronunciation of some these words and phrases.
Try to imitate and learn the pronunciation and intonation of all the expressions.
Now, look at the following dialogue to see how these expressions are used in the context of a real
conversation about a particular company.
Interviewer (I): Good evening! We are here with Max Verstoppen, the CEO of the car company
Skoda. Thank you so much for your time, Mr Verstoppen.
Max Verstoppen (MV): Hi! It’s my pleasure to be here.
I: What can you tell us about Skoda?
MV: Skoda produces cars and other vehicles. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VW) Group and it is
the third oldest car maker in the world.
I: Wow! That’s wonderful. And where is it from? Where does it operate ?
MV: It’s based in the Czech Republic, but it is a global company. It operates in 103 markets and has
more than 25,0005 employees worldwide.
I: Interesting! Now, in terms of advantages or benefits for the customers, what can Skoda offer?
MV: Skoda has the advantages of a central European location and technology from the VW Group.
For this reason, its costs are lower than many of its competitors, and it specializes in cars which
offer good value for money.
I: Has Skoda always dedicated to the manufacture of cars?
MV: Actually, no. When the company started, it produced bicycles. Today, it continues to provide
support services to the Tour de France and Tour of Britain cycle races. We have even become the
largest European exporter of vehicle parts.
I: And what about money? Is Skoda profitable as a business?
MV: Yes, we are! Last year we generated a revenue of over US$ 60 million, worldwide.
I: That is indeed a big profit. Well, congratulations on your successful business model and thanks
once again for your time, Mr Verstoppen!
MV: Thank you so much for having me on your show tonight.
For more useful vocabulary and expressions related to the basic information about companies,
please refer to the websites listed at the end of this file.

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2. Grammar: The Present Simple

As it happens with most languages, in English we can use different grammatical structures to refer
to different moments in time. These structures are called Verb Tenses. It is very important to learn
the meaning, use, and structure of different verb tenses in order to express ideas that belong to
different times, in the present, the past, or the future. In this unit, we will be studying one of the
most commonly used verb tenses in English: the Present Simple.
2.1 Present Simple – Meanings and Use

In English, the Present Simple is used to express:
● Present Routines or Habits – actions that are repeated with a certain frequency:
- We travel to the coast every summer.
- Beatriz visits her grandparents every Sunday.
● Facts, general truths or permanent situations:
- Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina.
- I don’t like white chocolate.
● Situations or events that are arranged in a calendar, in the present or the future:
- The board meeting starts at 18:00, this afternoon.
2.2 The Present Simple: Sentence Structure

The following chart summarises the structure of the Present Simple. Notice how, in negative
sentences and questions, we use the auxiliary verbs do (for the subjects I, you, we, they) and does
(for the subjects he, she, it):
1. Affirmative
Subject + Verb (Present) + Complement
Rachel writes emails every morning.
They play football at the park.
You study Hospitality Management at EAN.

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2. Negative
Subject + Do / Does + Not + Verb (Base Form) + Complement
Sarah doesn’t like dancing.
We don’t have access to the database.
Mark and Philip don’t speak Portuguese.
3. Questions
(Wh-) + Do / Does + Subject + Verb (Base Form) + Complement + ?
Do you live in Moscow? – Yes, I do / No, I don’t

Does the company follow the protocols? Yes, it does / No, it doesn’t
Where do your parents work? They work at the university.
Notice how, in affirmative sentences only, we add “-s” or “-es” at the end of the verb when the
subject of the sentence is he, she, or it. This doesn’t happen in negative sentences or question
because the “-s” is in the auxiliary verb does. Look at the following examples:
- Samantha flies to Europe for work every year. She doesn’t fly to Africa.
- We live in Argentina, but our brother Facundo lives in Uruguay.
- Does Mary have children? Yes, she has two boys.
As you can see in these examples, sometimes we only need to add an “-s”, but other times we need
to add an “-es”. The rules for these changes are as follows:
● We add “-s” to the vast majority of verbs. For example:
-I love Carol, and she loves me.
-Frank works at the bakery that is around the corner.
● We add “-es” to verbs that end in “-ss”, “-x”, “-ch” or “-sh”. For example:
-My sister moved abroad and now she misses her friends.
-Bob is a mechanic; he fixes all types of cars.
-Lydia is a teacher at my school; she teaches French.
-The machine washes the dishes very quickly.
● When a verb ends in a consonant + “-y”, we eliminate the “-y”, and add “-ies”. For example:
-Mary studies Medicine at Harvard.

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● For the irregular verbs “do” and “go”, we add “-es”. For example:
-I do exercise, but Nathan does much more exercise than me.
-Lauran goes to the supermarket twice a week.
● For the irregular verb “have”, we change de verb completely to “has”. For example:
-Miriam has three children.
Again, remember that the rule of adding an “-s” or an “-es” only applies to affirmative sentences
where the subject is “he”, “she”, or “it”. Look at this final example:
Benny runs 10 km every day. He doesn’t run in the morning.
Notice how in the second sentence of the example above, the verb “run” doesn’t have an “-s” at
the end, even though the subject is the same person (Benny, or “he”). Thi s is because the second
sentence is not affirmative, but has the auxiliary verb “does” to form the negative of the verb.
2.3 The Present Simple: Adverbs of Frequency

As studied above, the principal use or meaning of the Present Simple is to talk about r outines and
habitual actions or situations. This means that, on many occasions, it is necessary to add a word of
phrase that refers to the frequency of the action. In other words, sometimes it’s necessary to clarify
how many times an action is done in a certain period of time.
In order to express this idea of frequency, the English language has several resources which we can
use. Let’s see what they are:
● When we need to be very precise and specific, we can use the formula “every + period of
time”. For example:
-Manuel drives his car every day.
-We visit our grandparents every weekend.
-They go to the supermarket every two weeks.
● We can alternatively use an Adverb of Frequency. These are words of phrases which give
a more general or subjective idea of how often a situation or an action occurs. These expressions
can be organized on a scale that goes from the top level of frequency to the bottom level of
frequency. The diagram below illustrates that scale:

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Finally, it is worth noticing the position in which Adverbs of Frequency are added in Present Simple
sentences:
● With most verbs, the adverb of frequency is placed between the subject and the verb. For
example:
-Guillermina never sleeps with the TV on.
-We always eat salad on Saturdays.
-Paul sometimes plays the piano in his house.
● With the verb “Be”, however, the adverb of frequency is placed immediately after the
verb. For example:
-Harry is often late for class.
-Marley and Bob are hardly ever happy with my work.
-The manager occasionally visits the office.
You can listen to this podcast to review and learn the pronunciation of some these words and
phrases. Try to imitate and learn the pronunciation and intonatio n of all the expressions.
For more useful grammar information and exercises related to the Present Simple, please refer to
the websites listed at the end of this file.

Inglés 1.
3. Language Functions: Introducing yourself at a company meeting,

networking event, or a conference
3.1 Relevance and general guidelines

It is no secret that in today’s business world, most companies cannot operate in isolation. On the
contrary, they need to build strong relationships not only with their clients and customers, but also
with providers, suppliers, and sometimes even with their competitors. In the past few decades, the
internet has enhanced the nature and variety of means through which companies communicate
with the outside world, but even today there are some types of events that must done in person,
as they are almost impossible to emulate using an online format.
One of such situations is what has come to be known as “networking events”. Simply put,
networking events can be defined as a wide range of activities specifically organized to give
participants the opportunity to make personal contact with current and prospective clients, and
thus expand their company’s business opportunities (Valent, 2018). A lot of different events could
be used as examples, including conferences, congresses, annual meetings, work breakfast, after -
hour events, and one which is increasingly popular in the post-pandemic world: online networking
events.
No matter what the networking event is, many companies around the world invest significant
resources in them, by sending staff members to attend and represent the organization in front of
clients, providers, and colleagues. For this reason, it is the employees’ responsibility to acquire,
internalize, and put into practice different language and communicative resources that will enable
him/her to communicate fluently with the other people attending the event. It is particularly
important to be able to speak about his/her company’s goals, mission, vision, and basic information,
so as to catch the attention of potential clients. At the same time, being able to ask about this same
type of information about the other organizations attending the event could prove vital in order to
understand the company’s competition and how it operates in the market.
Stahl (2018) explains the importance of attending networking events by listing a series of reasons
that are very clear and easy to understand:
● To build relationships with colleagues, as networking events gather groups of people with
similar interests, professions, and occupations in a rather informal environmen t. This type of
opportunity often helps the companies that attend them refine or redefine their mission, their
objectives, and the way they want to present their products or services to a wider audience.
Exchanging ideas with like-minded people is always inspirational or revealing about our own
experience.
● To keep up-to-date with the newest trends in the market, as talking to other players in the
industry will surely provide information about the latest tendencies in the market. Staff

Inglés 1.
members can better understand what future clients are after and what their current needs are.
This information is often quite valuable when planning for next year’s market or business
strategies.
● To benefit from new ideas, which could be explained by a keynote speaker or some famous
guest to the event, but also by other colleagues or even clients. For this reason, it is important
for the staff members attending the event to do so with an open mind and willing to learn from
the experience.
● To make important connections, networking events often bring influencers and leaders of the
industry close to other smaller players in the market, so small companies and their staff can
share the ideal environment to interact with these important figures and benefit from their
ideas and suggestions. Sometimes, these connections become permanent, even if at the
beginning they take a bit of time to settle. The result is the expansion of business opportunities.
● To be motivated, as these events usually serve as an inspiration and source o f external
motivation for companies and their staff.
● To socialize, networking is usually a perfect way to change the monotonous routine of office
work, and interact with colleagues and clients in a different context, enabling employees to
communicate in a more relaxed way with their peers.
● To recruit new staff, some companies use networking events as a chance to find new employees
for key positions, as attendants are usually eager to learn and establish new connections.
With all these reasons in mind, staff members should also be familiar with a series of criteria they
need to apply when introducing themselves and the organization they represent at networking
events and other business meetings. Marshall (2015) claims that in order to create a great fi rst
impression at networking events, employees need to:
● Explain their contribution to the company, not just the name of their position, but what they
actually do to make a positive contribution to the company’s operation.
● Be memorable; in other words, present themselves and their company in a way that sets them
apart from the rest, in order to create interest in what he/she and the company represent.
● Be aware of cultural differences, which means to understand and respect the ways people from
different parts of the country or the world communicate in this type of situations. It’s essential
to be tactful and respectful at all times, even in somewhat relaxed contexts.
Finally, as pointed out by Glantz (2021) it is actually a very good idea to prepare a little script with
the essential information to say at different types of networking events. The objective is not to
repeat these ideas automatically, but to be well prepared to share important information about
yourself and the company you represent, in the specific context of the event that the employee will
participate in.

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3.2 Commonly used phrases and expressions

By combining the grammatical and vocabulary structures studied above, it is quite practical to make
appropriate sentences to introduce ourselves and the organization we represent at business and
networking events. Different expressions are used, depending on the specific communicative
situation and the information requested. Also, some expressions tend to be more formal than
others, so the speaker must choose which ones are more appropriate. Let’s look at some commonly
used structures:
3.2.1 Introducing yourself
● Hello. Can I introduce myself?
● My name is / I am + name
● I work as a + position in the company
● I work at / for + name of the company
3.2.2 Introducing others
● Con I introduce you to… + name of colleague?
● This is… name of colleague
● He / she is the + position in the company
3.2.3 Responding
● Nice to meet you
● How do you do?
● It’s a pleasure to meet you, too
3.2.4 Asking about another person’s job or company
● What’s your name (again)?
● Where are you from?
● Who do you work for?
● What do you do?
● Why are you here?

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● What / How about you?
For more useful phrases and expressions to introduce yourself and your company at networking
events, please refer to the websites listed at the end of this file.
4. Conclusion
As a general conclusion, in this unit we have learned:
New words and expression related to companies and essential information. This vocabulary is vital
for the staff working in this type of establishment, in order to fluently communicate to customers,
colleagues, and their supervisors.
The meaning, rules, and sentence structure of the Present Simple. This verb tense is fundamental
for communication, as it enables us to talk about routines, repeated actions, and permanent
situations.
A list of phrases and other idiomatic expressions which will help us to make our own personal
introduction, and also introduce another person or people, in the context of a professional
situation, such as a meeting or a networking event.
5. References
Glantz, J. (2021). The scripts to use when introducing yourself at a networking event, conference,
and any other professional meeting. Retrieved from the Business Insider Review and Blog. Website:
https://www.businessinsider.com/scripts-how-to-introduce-yourself-networking-event-
professional-meeting-2021-8
Marshall, L. (2015). Here's how to introduce yourself in a way that'll make people care who you are.
Retrieved from the Business Insider Review and Blog. Website:
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-way-to-introduce-yourself-2015-10
Riordan, S. (2019). 5 Reasons Why It’s Important for Employees to Understand Their Company’s
Brand. Retrieved from the Clutch Marketing Industry Review and Blog. Website:
https://clutch.co/agencies/branding/resources/5-reasons-why-important-employees-understand-
company-brand
Stahl, A. (2018). 3 Reasons Why You Should Attend More Networking Events. Retrieved from Forbes
Magazine. Website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2018/11/29/3 -reasons-why-you-
should-attend-more-networking-events/?sh=201cf4756e01

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Valent, E. (2018). What are the best types of Networking Events? Retrieved from the PGR Marketing
Review and Blog. Website: https://www.pgrmt.com/en/blog/what-are-the-best-types-of-
networking-events
6. Compulsory Bibliography
Grant, D.; Hudson, J. (2009). Business Result Pre-intermediate Student’s Book (1st ed., Unit 1).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Extensive Vocabulary about Company Facts
https://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=8466
https://www.englishclub.com/business-english/vocabulary-company.php
https://www.linguahouse.com/es/esl-lesson-plans/vocabulary/describing-a-company
https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2018/02/26/teaching-business-english-1-the-company-
words-keep/
Extensive Grammar about the Present Simple
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar/present-simple
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple.html
https://www.english-4u.de/en/grammar/present-simple.htm
https://www.really-learn-english.com/simple-present-exercises.html
Extensive Language about Personal Introductions

https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/salaries-and-skills/icebreaker-ideas-how-to-introduce-
yourself-at-business-networking-events
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/11-smart-phrases-to-use-at-networking-events.htmls
https://theonle.network/blog/2020/6/25/how-to-introduce-yourself-at-networking-events


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Inglés I

© Escuela Argentina de Negocios

02 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

1. Vocabulary: Companies – Basic Information & Facts

1.1 Understanding the essentials of a company

03 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

1.2 Useful Words and Expressions for speaking about companies

Word or Phrase Definition / Example

04 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

Exporter A person, company or country that sells goods to another country.

Max Verstoppen (MV): Hi! It’s my pleasure to be here.

I: What can you tell us about Skoda?

I: Wow! That’s wonderful. And where is it from? Where does it operate ?

I: Has Skoda always dedicated to the manufacture of cars?

I: And what about money? Is Skoda profitable as a business?

MV: Thank you so much for having me on your show tonight.

05 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

2. Grammar: The Present Simple

2.1 Present Simple – Meanings and Use

- We travel to the coast every summer.

- Beatriz visits her grandparents every Sunday.

● Facts, general truths or permanent situations:

- Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina.

- I don’t like white chocolate.

- The board meeting starts at 18:00, this afternoon.

2.2 The Present Simple: Sentence Structure

Rachel writes emails every morning.

They play football at the park.

You study Hospitality Management at EAN.

06 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

Sarah doesn’t like dancing.

We don’t have access to the database.

Mark and Philip don’t speak Portuguese.

(Wh-) + Do / Does + Subject + Verb (Base Form) + Complement + ?

Do you live in Moscow? – Yes, I do / No, I don’t

Where do your parents work? They work at the university.

- We live in Argentina, but our brother Facundo lives in Uruguay.

- Does Mary have children? Yes, she has two boys.

● We add “-s” to the vast majority of verbs. For example:

-I love Carol, and she loves me.

-Frank works at the bakery that is around the corner.

-Bob is a mechanic; he fixes all types of cars.

-Lydia is a teacher at my school; she teaches French.

-The machine washes the dishes very quickly.

-Mary studies Medicine at Harvard.

07 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

-I do exercise, but Nathan does much more exercise than me.

-Lauran goes to the supermarket twice a week.

-Miriam has three children.

Benny runs 10 km every day. He doesn’t run in the morning.

2.3 The Present Simple: Adverbs of Frequency

-We visit our grandparents every weekend.

-They go to the supermarket every two weeks.

08 ESCUELA ARGENTINA DE NEGOCIOS®

-Guillermina never sleeps with the TV on.

-We always eat salad on Saturdays.

-Paul sometimes plays the piano in his house.

-Harry is often late for class.

-Marley and Bob are hardly ever happy with my work.

-The manager occasionally visits the office.