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AI image: A woman and a man look at charts on a tablet on a sofa – describing numbers and trends.
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Simmonds · live on simmonds.onlineB25 min · English

Numbers and trends in English: vocabulary, dialogue and conversation questions

Editorially responsible: James Simmondspublished 9 Nov 2026AI-generated text (learn more – how we use AI on these pages)

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Question of the day

What does a good communicator do when presenting data, according to the podcast?

  1. They read every figure in the report.
  2. They point out the key trends.
  3. They start with the smallest changes.
Show the answer – Open the answer to the question of the day

Correct answer: They point out the key trends.

You can find the answer in the English introduction.

Listen to the introduction

Speed

Transcript

Hi, I'm Theo, and this is a two-minute conversation starter. Today: talking about numbers and trends. In business, we are surrounded by data. Whether it is a quarterly report – Jump to the vocabulary entry for quarterly report, a budget review or user statistics, you often need to explain what the sales figures – Jump to the vocabulary entry for sales figures mean. It is not enough to just read the numbers out loud. A good communicator points out the key trends. Did sales increase steadily – Jump to the vocabulary entry for increase steadily, or was there a sudden spike – Jump to the vocabulary entry for sudden spike? Do you need to explain fluctuating costs – Jump to the vocabulary entry for fluctuating costs? You also need to explain the reasons behind the data. If profits dropped significantly – Jump to the vocabulary entry for dropped significantly, your team will want to know why. Understanding the context turns raw data into a useful story. So, think about your own work for a moment. How often do you have to present data to others?

Vocabulary

quarterly report/ˈkwɔː.təl.i rɪˈpɔːt/
Meaning: A document produced every three months to show a company's financial performance.
Example: The manager presented the quarterly report to the board.
sales figures/ˈseɪlz ˌfɪɡəz/
Meaning: Numbers that show how much a company has sold.
Example: The sales figures were higher than we expected.
increase steadily/ɪnˈkriːs ˈsted.əl.i/
Meaning: To go up gradually and in a reliable way over time.
Example: House prices tend to increase steadily in this area.
sudden spike/ˈsʌd.ən ˈspaɪk/
Meaning: A very fast and unexpected rise in an amount or price.
Example: There was a sudden spike in website traffic yesterday.
fluctuating costs/ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪŋ kɒsts/
Meaning: Costs that keep rising and falling.
Example: Fluctuating costs make it difficult to plan the budget.
dropped significantly/drɒpt sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt.li/
Meaning: Fell by a large and noticeable amount.
Example: Customer complaints dropped significantly after the update.

Dialogue

  1. SarahHave you seen the latest quarterly report?
  2. JamesYes, I just looked at the sales figures. They look good, but we have some fluctuating costs.
  3. SarahTrue, but overall revenue managed to increase steadily over the last six months.
  4. JamesThat's good news. Did you notice the sudden spike in online sales in November?
  5. SarahYes, that was thanks to the Black Friday campaign.
  6. JamesUnfortunately, shop sales dropped significantly in the same period.
  7. SarahWe should probably look into why fewer people are visiting the physical shops.
  8. JamesI agree. I'll prepare a breakdown of the numbers for our meeting tomorrow.

Questions for your conversation

Partner A

Easier: Do you often work with numbers in your job? Why or why not?

Sales went up 12% – how do you explain what that really means?

More challenging: How can you ensure that an audience stays engaged when you are presenting complex financial data?

Partner B

Easier: Is it easy for you to understand graphs and charts? Why or why not?

What are some common reasons why a company's sales might drop significantly?

More challenging: To what extent can statistics be manipulated to tell a completely different story?

Partner A

Easier: Do you prefer reading text to looking at numbers? Why or why not?

How would you describe a sudden spike in your own daily workload?

More challenging: If you had to explain a fluctuating budget to a frustrated client, what strategy would you use to reassure them?

Useful phrases

  • The numbers have increased steadily since last year.
  • There was a sudden spike in demand.
  • Profits dropped significantly in the first quarter.
  • Let's look at the sales figures for this month.
  • We have fluctuating costs depending on the season.
  • How do you explain this trend?

Topic quiz

Five quick questions check vocabulary and listening comprehension.

All conversations – Back to all English conversations

Questions

Who is Theo?

Theo is an AI conversation partner for warming up, not a teacher. The voice is synthetic. In the live rounds, a trainer talks with you.

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We store neither audio nor a transcript. During the conversation, your voice is sent to Google (Gemini) for processing. The conversation ends after no more than five minutes.

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