General Business Vocabulary 1 (c. 220 words)
(Use a monolingual dictionary to look up how the words are used in a sentence!)
a great deal of idiom a lot of, a large amount of
above adj./prep. over, higher than OR referring to something that has already appeared in a text (= aforementioned) De: obengenannt
abroad adv. overseas (De: im Ausland, ins Ausland)
accommodate v. give somebody a place to stay OR to meet somebody halfway, to cooperate with somebody (De: jem. entgegenkommen)
accommodation, n. (no plural!) 1. Unterkunft 2. Entgegenkommen
accompany v. begleiten
accounts n. the financial records of a company
accurate adj. exact, precise, correct (opp. inaccurate); accuracy n.
accustomed to sth. (adj.) gewohnt (syn.: used to sth.)
actual adj. real; actually adv. (De: eigentlich)
adapt to make something suitable for use, often by modifying it; adaptation n.
addition n. to add one thing to another (De: addieren, dazutun); additional adj. additionally adv.
administration n. management e.g. Bachelor of Business Administration, OR School administration – De: Schulsekretariat
advance n./v. move forward; in advance ahead of schedule, beforehand
affairs n. business matters e.g. Being in Madrid, he was unable to manage affairs in Barcelona.
afford v. be able to pay for something OR tolerate something e.g.Our company can’t afford to have such incompetent employee.s (De: sich leisten)
analyse, v. analysieren (stress on the first syllable); analysis n, Analyse (stress on the second syllable)
anniversary n. The ‘birthday’ of a company e.g. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary.
annual adj. yearly e.g. annual report, annual return
appreciate v. 1) schätzen, 2) an Wert gewinnen; appreciation n. The Swiss franc has appreciated.
arise v. aufkommen, entstehen, s. ergeben e.g. a problem/question arises
assist v. helfen, assistance n, Hilfe
attach v. to add a file to an email (anhängen); attachment n.
attend v. be present at an event e.g. attend a meeting/a course/university/an even; attendance n.
attitude n. opinion, state of mind e.g. He has a negative attitude to team building; De: Einstellung
auction n. a sale where goods are sold to the highest bidder
available adj. erhältlich, verfügbar; availability n. Verfügbarkeit
aware adj. conscious, knowing about something e.g. The boss was aware of the problem.; awareness, brand awareness.
bank balance n. the amount of money in a bank account (De: Kontostand)
bankrupt adj. a condition where a company is unable to pay its creditors; bankruptcy n.
based v. founded e.g. This report is based on the latest research.
based v. located e.g. Our CFO is based in Zurich.
on behalf of sb. De: Im Namen von
benefit n. a positive aspect, advantage; benefit v. profit from
beverage n. (food & beverage) das Getränk
bid v. bieten; a bid n. Angebot, gebotener Preis, Offerte, Submission; seltener auch: Versuch (to make a bid for power)
black adj. to be in the black = to be in profit. (Opposite: to be in the red = to be in debt)
bother n. nuisance, irritation; idiom: he/she can’t be bothered to – is unwilling to do something
branch n. De: Filiale (also branch office)
brand awareness, die Markenbekanntheit
bring about v. cause to happen
blue-collar worker: describes people who do work needing strength or physical skill rather than office work
white-collar worker: blue-collar relating to people who work in offices, doing work that needs mental rather than physical effort
bump into v. jemanden anrempeln; jemanden zufällig treffen
call off v. to cancel a previous engagement or appointment
capacity n. die Kapazität
cash flow n. a company’s degree of liquidity
challenge v. herausfordern; n. Herausforderung
circulate v. zirkulieren, kreisen, in Umlauf bringen; circulation n. the circulation of a newspaper
circumstance n. the background situation (De: Umstand)
claim v. to demand something OR to assert something despite opposition (De: behaupten); claim n. a demand for payment of damages (De: Schadenersatzforderung)
clock in/out v. De: Arbeitsbeginn/Arbeitsende stempeln
come up with n. produce (while brainstorming, for example) a new idea or concept
commence v. (formal) anfangen; commencement Anfang
community n. Gemeinschaft
compatible with (adj.) kompatibel, austauschbar
concept n. Konzept, Begriff, Auffassung
compensation n. Ausgleich, Abfindung, Besoldung; compensate v.
considerable adj. beträchtlich, wesentlich
consultant n. someone giving advice on a certain matter; consultancy n. a firm of consultants; consultation
consumer n. Konsument; v. consume
contemporary adj. zeitgenössisch
contrary adj. umgekehrt; on the contrary ganz im Gegenteil
contrast v. compare two things to see how different they are; contrast n.
contribute v. beitragen; contribution n. Beitrag; contributory adj. beitragend e.g. contributory factors
corporate adj. Geschäfts- e.g. corporate image, corporate identity
create v. (er)schaffen. Obama wanted to create jobs in the US. Job creation
currency n. Währung
current adj. happening at the moment, topical (De: aktuell) e.g. the current prices
deadline n. a date by which a task has to be completed
deliver v. 1) liefern 2) Leistung bringen: The new boss has got to deliver.
demand v. to request something, especially with authority (De: verlangen, fordern); demand n. a need for something e.g. supply and demand
demanding adj. difficult e.g. a demanding task
deny v. to resist an accusation or statement (De: abstreiten); denial n.
discretion n. 1) at someon’s discretion nach Belieben; e.g. non-members admitted at the club’s discretion; 2) Diskretion
dismiss v. to send away OR to fire somebody; dismissal n.
distribute v. verteilen; distribution n. Verteilung
domestic adj. 1) häuslich 2) inländisch e.g. GDP Gross Domestic Product, the domestic market, a domestic flight
duration n. Dauer ; e.g. Please wear your badge for the duration of the conference.
eager adj. very willing, enthusiastic
economic about the economy of a country; e.g. the current economic situation in the US
economical adj. not wasting resources (De: sparsam) Contrast with economics!
economics n. Study of economic trends; De: Fach VWL
economies of scale n. die Größenvorteile, Skalenerträge
emphasise v. to stress (De: betonen); emphasis n.
employ v. to give somebody a job; employer n.; employee n. e.g. An employee is employed by an employer.
enable v. ermöglichen, befähigen; ermächtigen to enable sb. to do sth.
enclose v. to include something with a letter, i.e. inside an envelope; enclosure n. Not to be confused with attach!
enquire v. to ask; n. enquiry De: Anfrage
enrol v. to join or register, e.g. to enrol in a course or at a school; enrolment n.
ensure v. to make sure; De: sicherstellen
environment n. Umwelt
error n. Fehler
essential adj. very important, crucial, vital
establish v. (Firma) gründen; we established a branch in Moscow
(to be) faced with vor einer Aufgabe/einer Herausforderung stehen
Equal opportunities the principle of treating all people the same, and not being influenced by a person’s sex, race, religion, etc
facilitate v. to assist a process, make it possible/easier
facility n. Einrichtung, e.g. St Moritz offers lots of winter sports facilities .
fail v. to be unsuccessful; failure n. De: Misserfolg; failing n. a negative personal quality e.g. It was one of the boss’s failings that he could not delegate.
familiarise sb./onself with v. vertraut machen mit
favour n. der Gefallen; to do sb. a favour
field n. a particular area of work (De: Branche, Tätigkeitsfeld)
final adj. 1) letzte(r), End- 2) endgültig e.g. The boss’s decision is final.
forecast v./n. predict, prediction
found v. in business terms: to start a company; founder n. a person who starts a company; foundation n. 1) an organisation, often with charitable aims (De: Stiftung) 2) die Grundlage
framework n. der Rahmen, die Rahmenbedingungen
furthermore + comma conj. ferner
get (sth.) down v. write down
get on with v. have a good relationship with [US: get along with] OR make progress with e.g. How are you getting on with that report?
gift n. present De: Geschenk
goal n. aim, target; goal-oriented adj. zielorientiert
grade n. level of quality, e.g. of academic results in the US; top-grade coal, grade A eggs
hang up v. put down the phone after a call
highlight v. betonen
huge adj. vast, enormous, gigantic
immediate adj. De: unmittelbar e.g. your immediate senior, the immediate future
in the red/black idiom making a loss/profit
incident n. an unexpected occurrence, possibly of a negative nature (De: Vorfall)
income n. Einkommen > income tax
instance n. Fall, Beispiel; e.g. There have been many instances of auto firms getting bailed out.
intend v. wish to do something (De: beabsichtigen); intention n.; to do sth. (un)intentionally
intermediate adj. zwischen-, dazwischenligend; e.g. Africa has profited from intermediate technology
invest in v. put money in a certain project; n. investment
investigate v. untersuchen; investigation n. Untersuchung e.g. The incident will be investigated.
involve v. einbeziehen, verwickeln; involvement n. e.g. They were involved in a fraud.
judge v. to examine the facts and make a decision on a certain topic (De: beurteilen);
judge n. somebody who hears and decides the outcome of court cases
just adj. fair; justice n.
justify v. rechtfertigen; justification n. Rechtfertigung
keen on adj. enthusiastic (De: “scharf” auf)
keep up v. continue e.g. Keep up the good work!
keep up with sb. v. perform at the same level as rivals (De: Schritt halten mit)
launch v. to present a new product to the public, launch n. such a presentation (De: Lancierung)
lecture v. vortragen; lecture n. Vorlesung
legal adj. relating to law e.g. legal action – a court case (De: Gerichtsfall) (opposite: illegal)
likely adj. probable (De = wahrscheinlich) (opp. unlikely)
maintain v. 1) aufrechterhalten; warten/in Stand halten 2) etw. behaupten; maintenance n. Beibehaltung, Aufrechterhaltung; Wartung(sarbeiten),
major adj. important (De: haupt-, bedeutend, sehr gross ) e.g. Novartis is a major player in pharmaceuticals
margin n. profit (De: Marge, Gewinnspanne; more general: Spielraum), also: profit margin
measure n. a step introduced to achieve a certain aim (De: Massnahme)
Maternity leave a period in which a woman is legally allowed to be absent from work in the weeks before and after she gives birth
narrow adj. the opposite of broad (De: eng)
network n. Netzwerk; networking (< to network) ein Netzwerk entwickeln; Vernetzung
nevertheless + comma conj. dennoch
objective n. Ziel
observe v. watch closely, scrutinise ; observation n. Beobachtung (auch: Bemerkung)
obvious(ly) adj. (adv.) offensichtlich
occur v. to happen; occurrence n. (De: Vorkommnis)
OHP abbrev. overhead projector
overseas adj./adv. übersee-, überseeisch, in Übersee e.g. our overseas offices
participate v. teilnehmen; participation n. Teilnahme
personal adj. relating to one’s person (De: persönlich)
personnel n. staff (stress on the last syllable)
placement n. Platzierung, Vermittlung, Praktikum e.g. work placement
poor adj. bad, negative e.g. poor performance
pose a question v. eine Frage aufwerfen
previously adv. earlier; previous adj. e.g. the previous campaign
principal adj. haupt- e.g. the principal reason; n. the principal De: Rektor, Direktor (of a college).
principle n. Prinzip, Grundsatz > in principle
prove v. to demonstrate or show the truth of a statement; proof n.; proveable adj. can be proved
publish v. veröffentlichen
quarrel n. argument, disagreement (also v. to quarrel with sb.)
quote v. to cite somebody (De: zitieren)
quote n. an offer to provide a service at a certain price; v. to quote a price/reference number
quotation n. Zitat
range n. Auswahl, Sortiment ; e.g. we have a range of new products
rank v. to distinguish on the basis of size or performance (De: klassifizieren); n. ranking (De: Rangliste)
receipt n. record of payment (De: Quittung)
recognition n. acknowledgement (De: Anerkennung); recognise v. (UK); recognize v. (US) De: anerkennen; (wieder)erkennen
refuse v. to show unwillingness to do something (De: sich weigern); refusal n. e.g. I received a refusal to my application.
register v. (sich) eintragen; registered post = eingeschrieben; registration n. Anmeldung
regulation n. Anordnung, Vorschrift
rely on v. to count on; reliable adj.
remarkable adj. beachtlich
renew v. to make new, bring up to date (De: erneuern); renewal n.; renewable adj. e.g. renewable energy is energy that can be replaced
require v. erfordern; to study in the USA a visa is required; requirement n. (De: Anforderung, Bedingung, Voraussetzung)
research v./n. forschen, Forschung
respond v. answer; response n.
retail v. to sell directly to consumers, mostly in small quantities; retail n. e.g. retail trade/sector (De: Detailhandel)
run out v. to no longer be in supply e.g. We’ve run out of paper so we can’t photocopy.
schedule n. Lehr-, Arbeits-, Fahrplan; v. festsetzen, terminieren e.g.We’ll schedule the meeting for 10.00.
scheme n. [’ski:m] Plan, System, Schema; schemer = Intrigant(in)
secondary adj. less important (De: zweitrangig) e.g. That project is secondary so it is not of the utmost importance.
security n. 1) Sicherheit, 2) Garantie
seek v. sought, sought De: suchen e.g. to seek recognition/a new challenge
sought-after = begehrt
select v. auswählen; adj. erlesen, ausgesucht
set off v. start a trip e.g. He set off for work at 7.30am.
significance n. importance
significant adj. noticeable, important
similar adj. ähnlich
site n. as in website, building site; De: Stelle, Platz, Stätte
source v. etw. beziehen e.g. the metals are sourced abroad; finden e.g. to source new opportunities; n. Quelle, Ursprung, Bezugsquelle
spread v. ausbreiten, verteilen, sich ausbreiten; n. a spread Ausbreitung, Ausdehnung
subsidiary n. Tochtergesellschaft
substantial adj. beträchtlich
substitute v. ersetzen; n. Ersatz-,
subtract v. (maths) abziehen, subtrahieren
sufficient adj. genügend
summary n. Zusammenfassung
supplementary adj. zusätzlich
supply v. make available, provide / supply n., supplier n., supply and demand (De: Angebot und Nachfrage)
survey n. Umfrage (to make/conduct a survey)
tackle v. to deal with, e.g. tackle a problem
take into account v. beachten, berücksichtigen, einkalkulieren
take into consideration v. bedenken, berücksichtigen; in Erwägung ziehen
target v. to focus on a particular aim e.g. this advertising campaign targets young women; target n.
task n. Aufgabe
task-based adj. aufgabenorientiert
technique n. [tek’ni:k] Technik, Methode
tenant n. somebody who rents a property (De: Mieter)
tend to v. neigen zu
tension n. Spannung, Straffheit
tough adj. fierce, difficult De: hart e.g. tough competition
treat as v. behandeln als
trust v. to place your faith in someone/something; trust n. Vertrauen (also: to trust sth. to sb. OR to trust sb. with sth. = jem. etw. anvertrauen)
trustworthy adj. vertauenswürdig
undervalued adj. unterbewertet
uniform adj. einheitlich, gleich
valid adj. gültig; n. validity Gültigkeit
vary v. [’veri] to change
variety n. Abwechslung, Auswahl, Mannigfaltigkeit
vehicle n. Fahrzeug; Träger (in a figurative sense)
virtually adv. beinahe, nahezu e.g. these two products are virtually identical
wage n. money paid for work done per hour or day
wholesale n./adj./adv. the sale of commodities in quantity (usually for resale by a retailer) De: Grosshandel; en gros
width n. how wide something is (De: Breite)
withdraw v. to take money out of an account OR to take (oneself) back or away (De: Geld abheben; sich zurückziehen)
within prep. in a certain period of time (De: innert/innerhalb)