What do I say at a business dinner in English?
Think in three stages. When you order: "What would you recommend?" and "I'll have the salmon, please." At the table: "Would you like some more water?" and "Could you pass the bread, please?" At the end: "Let me get this" when you pay, and "Thank you for a lovely evening" when you leave. Watch the German trap: "bekommen" does not mean "become", so say "I'll have the salmon", not "I become the salmon".
- The three stages: ordering, table talk, paying and thanking.
- "I'll have the salmon, please", not "I become the salmon".
- Paying: "Let me get this" or "This is on me", not "I invite you".
B2 · Small Talk · 10 minBusiness dinners in English, taught brick by brick.
A structured ten-slide lesson for B2 learners. Hear a typical order in context, learn the three stages of a business dinner from a tutor — ordering, table talk, paying and thanking — then practise them in the interactive drills before a final quiz. The whole arc is under ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelB2 · Upper intermediate
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsSpeaking, Vocabulary, Listening, Business English
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
Why a business dinner needs its own phrases
A business dinner is half work and half free time. You are sitting at a table with clients, partners or colleagues from abroad, and nobody expects perfect English. What people do notice, though, are small phrases that are slightly off: an order that sounds strange, an offer that comes across as too direct, or an awkward moment when the bill arrives. Moments like these often decide whether the evening feels relaxed. This lesson splits the business dinner into three stages. The first stage is ordering: you ask for a recommendation, for example "What would you recommend?", and you order with "I'll have the salmon, please." The second stage is the conversation at the table: you offer something ("Would you like some more water?"), ask for something ("Could you pass the bread, please?") and keep the small talk light. The third stage is the end: you settle the bill with "Let me get this" or "This is on me" and thank your host with "Thank you for a lovely evening." On top of that come a few German traps, above all "bekommen" and "become". With these three stages in your head, you know at every point of the evening what comes next.
02 / 06
Stage 1: inviting and ordering
A business dinner often starts with the invitation. The usual polite form is "Would you like to join us for dinner on Thursday?" For this invitation, use "Would you like to" plus the base form. "Join" takes the people directly as its object: "join us". You can accept with "I'd love to, thank you" and decline with "That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid I can't make it on Thursday." In the restaurant, asking for a recommendation is a good opener: "What would you recommend?" It works with the waiter just as well as with a host who knows the place. To order, you say "I'll have the salmon, please" or "Could I have the salmon, please?". "I'd like the salmon, please" is perfectly fine too. You will hear "Can I get the salmon?" mainly in American English; to some British ears it sounds a little casual. If there is something you don't eat, say so briefly and kindly: "I'm vegetarian" or "I don't eat pork." As the host, you can ask your guests: "Is there anything you don't eat?" And for the drinks: "Shall we order a bottle of wine for the table?" That way ordering goes smoothly and without misunderstandings.
03 / 06
Stage 2: talk at the table
Use the meal to build your relationship with the other person. Whether you also discuss business details depends on the people and the occasion; take your cue from the conversation. Good topics are the trip, the city, the food itself, holiday plans or hobbies. A short compliment keeps the mood friendly: "This is delicious" or "Great choice of restaurant." When you offer something, "Would you like …?" is the safe form: "Would you like some more water?" It is softer than "Do you want …?", and "some" is usual when you offer an unspecified amount. If something is out of reach, don't stretch across the table; ask for it: "Could you pass the bread, please?" When glasses are raised, a simple "Cheers!" is enough. If the host wants to make a short toast, it might sound like this: "I'd like to propose a toast to our partnership." If you want to decline something, you don't need a reason: "I'm fine, thank you" or "No more for me, thanks." And when someone asks how you are enjoying the food, don't just say "Good"; give a whole sentence: "It's excellent, thank you. The sauce is wonderful." That way the conversation keeps going by itself.
04 / 06
Stage 3: paying and saying thank you
At the end of the evening, you ask for the bill. In British English it is "the bill": "Could we have the bill, please?" In American English people say "the check". Usually the person who issued the invitation pays. If that is you, say so clearly and kindly: "Let me get this" or "This is on me." "Please, allow me" sounds a little more formal. If your guest still wants to pay, you can hold your ground with "No, I insist." If you are the guest and the other person picks up the bill, accept it warmly: "That's very kind of you, thank you." For your expenses you often need proof of payment: "Could I have a receipt, please?" To ask whether a service charge is already on the bill, say "Is service included?" Whether an extra tip is expected depends on the country. When you leave, thank your host: "Thank you for a lovely evening" or "Thank you so much for dinner, I really enjoyed it." A short thank-you email the next day rounds off the evening: "Thank you again for dinner last night. It was a pleasure to meet you." That way the business dinner leaves a good final impression.
05 / 06
The German traps: bekommen, Guten Appetit, einladen, Rechnung
Four places where German gets in the way. First, "bekommen": "Ich bekomme den Lachs" easily turns into "I become the salmon". But "become" means "turn into", so the sentence sounds as if you are turning into a fish. You order with "I'll have the salmon" or "Could I have the salmon?". Second, "Guten Appetit": a natural English equivalent is "Enjoy your meal!", or simply "Enjoy!" English speakers also use the French "Bon appétit". "Good appetite" is a word-for-word version and not idiomatic. Third, "Ich lade dich ein" when offering to pay: in English you use "invite" when you ask someone to come along, as in "I'd like to invite you to dinner". Once the bill is on the table, you say "This is on me" or "Let me get this", not "I invite you". Fourth, "Rechnung": at the table it is "the bill" (American English "the check"). An "invoice" is usually what one company sends another for goods or services, and the proof of payment for your expenses is a "receipt". Keeping these four points in mind helps you avoid the literal-translation traps shown here.
06 / 06
Host or guest: small differences in tone
As the host, you guide the evening. You welcome your guest ("Thank you for coming, it's great to see you"), suggest dishes ("The fish here is excellent") and make sure that glasses don't stay empty. As the guest, your job is simpler: show interest, accept recommendations and say thank you. A line such as "Thank you for inviting me, this is a wonderful place" right at the start comes across as very friendly. Short, polite questions help in both roles. "Would you like …?", "Could you …?" and "please" are useful tools at a business dinner. If you are not sure what to order, "What are you having?" is a relaxed question for the other person. And if the conversation ever stalls, an open question such as "How was your flight?" gives the other person room to talk. "Have you been to Hamburg before?" is a yes/no question, so follow it up ("What did you think of it?") to get a fuller answer. In the end, what matters is less whether every word was perfect and more whether everyone at the table felt at ease.