Business English uses the future to plan, conditionals to negotiate, the passive to sound formal and reported speech to report what people said.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will + verb | Decision now, promise, prediction | I'll call you back in ten minutes. Prices will probably rise. |
| be going to + verb | Plan, intention ; evidence | We're going to open a new branch in Agadir. |
| Present continuous | Fixed arrangement | I'm flying to Paris on Monday. |
| Present simple | Timetable | The train leaves at 11.20. |
| Type | Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (real) | If + present, will + verb | Real possibility | If you order 100 units, we will give you a 5 % discount. |
| Second (unreal) | If + past, would + verb | Imaginary or unlikely situation | If we had more staff, we would answer faster. |
| Third (past) | If + past perfect, would have + past participle | Past situation that did not happen | If you had checked the invoice, you would have seen the mistake. |
© TSC COMMERCE – OTHMAN ZT · Cours protégé, reproduction interdite
Form: be (in the right tense) + past participle. We use it when the action is more important than the person, or to be polite and formal.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Someone broke into our house last night. | Our house was broken into last night. |
| They cancelled all flights because of fog. | All flights were cancelled because of fog. |
| Millions of people have read that book. | That book has been read by millions of people. |
| Somebody will deliver the package before 9. | The package will be delivered before 9. |
| They should have told him. | He should have been told. |
When we report words, the tense usually goes one step back: present → past ; past and present perfect → past perfect ; will → would ; can → could. Pronouns and time words change: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| "I am busy," she said. | She said (that) she was busy. |
| "We will send the goods tomorrow," he said. | He said they would send the goods the next day. |
| "Can you call me?" he asked. | He asked me if I could call him. |
| "Don't be late," the manager said. | The manager told us not to be late. |
© TSC COMMERCE – OTHMAN ZT · Cours protégé, reproduction interdite
Put into the passive: 1. The police are looking for the missing paintings. 2. Workmen were cleaning the entrance to the museum. 3. He invited me to the party. 4. They have not opened the doors yet. 5. Nobody noticed his mistake. 6. You must make a decision.
1. The missing paintings are being looked for (by the police). 2. The entrance to the museum was being cleaned. 3. I was invited to the party. 4. The doors have not been opened yet. 5. His mistake was not noticed. 6. A decision must be made.
Complete: 1. If you (pay) cash, we (give) you an extra 2 %. 2. If we (have) a bigger warehouse, we (keep) more stock. 3. If the supplier (deliver) on time, we (not, lose) the customer.
1. pay / will give ; 2. had / would keep ; 3. had delivered / would not have lost.
Report: 1. "I'm sending the contract today," Ms Brown said. 2. "We can't deliver before Friday," the supplier said. 3. "Will you attend the meeting?" the director asked me.
1. Ms Brown said she was sending the contract that day. 2. The supplier said they couldn't deliver before Friday. 3. The director asked me if I would attend the meeting.
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