How do you negotiate in English?
You can run a simple negotiation in English in three moves: say what you need ("Our main priority is delivery before March."), bargain with conditions ("If you order 200 chairs, we can offer a 5% discount."), then agree or postpone ("Let me just summarise what we've agreed." or "I'll need to check with my manager.").
- State your position: "We're looking for…", "Our main priority is…", "Is there any flexibility on…?"
- Bargain with conditions: for a condition, use the present simple after if, and can, could or will in the main clause.
- Agree or postpone: "That sounds reasonable.", "Let me just summarise what we've agreed.", "Can we come back to that point later?"
B1 · Negotiation · 10 minNegotiation basics, taught brick by brick.
A structured ten-slide lesson for B1 learners. Hear a conditional offer in context, meet the three moves of a simple negotiation from a tutor, then practise the phrases across interactive drills before a final quiz. The whole arc is under ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelB1 · Intermediate
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsSpeaking, Listening, Business English, Grammar
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What a simple negotiation in English needs
A negotiation does not have to be a boardroom drama. In everyday business it is often an ordinary conversation: a customer needs 200 office chairs, a supplier wants a fair price, and both sides want a delivery date that works. The language for that kind of conversation is surprisingly compact. You need a way to say what you want, a way to link what you give to what you get, and a way to close a point or park it for later. That gives this lesson its three moves: state your position, bargain with conditions, then agree or postpone. The grammar engine in the middle is the first conditional: "If you order 200 chairs, we can offer a 5% discount." The examples in this lesson come from invented supplier-and-customer situations — office furniture, delivery dates, payment terms — and the figures are made up for practice. What matters is the pattern, which you can reuse in many conversations where one thing is traded for another.
02 / 06
Move one: state your position
The first move is to make clear what you need, before anyone talks about money. "We're looking for 200 office chairs for our new building" sets the scene. "Our main priority is delivery before March" tells the other side what matters most to you — and, just as usefully, what matters less. "What we'd really like is a three-year warranty" names a wish without sounding like a demand; the frame "What we'd really like is…" is softer than a bare "We want…". Finally, "Is there any flexibility on the price?" opens the bargaining itself. On the surface it is a yes/no question, but in practice it invites the other side to move. Watch the preposition: flexibility on the price, on the delivery date, on the payment terms. Keep this move short and concrete. A clear priority helps both sides, because it shows where a deal is possible: if the delivery date matters more to you than the price, the supplier knows where to look for a solution.
03 / 06
Move two: bargain with conditions — the first conditional
The heart of a negotiation is usually the trade: I give you this if you give me that. English packs that trade into the first conditional. The if-clause names what the other side does, and the main clause names what you offer in return: "If you order 200 chairs, we can offer a 5% discount." "If you pay within 14 days, we'll cover the delivery costs." The two clauses can also swap places: "We can offer a 5% discount if you order 200 chairs." For a condition, use the present simple after if — "if you order", "if you pay" — even though the order and the payment lie in the future. The main clause takes can, could or will. "We can offer" sounds firm, "we could offer" a little more tentative and open to discussion; both are correct. The same trade works with "as long as": "We could agree to that as long as delivery is before March." To test an idea without committing to it, ask: "What if we split the delivery costs?" And when you reach your limit, say so politely: "I'm afraid we can't go below 80 euros per chair." One more note: you may hear "If you'll just wait a moment, I'll print the contract." There, "will" expresses willingness, so it is a polite request rather than a plain condition.
04 / 06
Move three: agree or postpone
A negotiation moves forward point by point, and each point has two good exits: you agree, or you park it. To agree, "That sounds reasonable" is a calm, professional yes; "That works for us" does the same job. "So, do we have a deal?" invites the other side to confirm. Then comes a step that can save a lot of trouble later: "Let me just summarise what we've agreed — 200 chairs, delivered in February, payment within 30 days." A summary makes sure both sides leave with the same numbers, and it is a natural moment to ask for everything in writing. If you cannot decide yet, postpone politely rather than saying no. "I'll need to check with my manager" is honest, and it buys you time. "Can we come back to that point later?" lets you move on to the next topic without losing the open one. Postponing is not a failure: it keeps the conversation going while you gather what you need for a decision.
05 / 06
Typical traps for German speakers
A few habits carry over from German and make an offer sound slightly off. The first is "Can you make us a better price?", a word-for-word version of "einen Preis machen". People will understand you, but it sounds unusual; the natural choices are "Can you give us a better price?", "Can you offer us a better price?" or, in informal British English, "Can you do us a better price?". The second is "Can you go down with the price?", from "mit dem Preis runtergehen". That one is not idiomatic — "go down with" is usually used for catching an illness ("go down with flu") — so say "Can you come down on the price?" or "Could you bring the price down a little?". Third, "The price is too expensive": in English, prices are high or low, while products are expensive or cheap, so "The price is too high" or "The chairs are too expensive" sound more natural. Finally, "Angebot" splits in two: a written price for specific goods is a quote or quotation, while an offer is a proposal made in the conversation or a deal — "a special offer", "that's a fair offer". On top of that comes the form after if: for a condition, "If you order…" is the usual choice rather than "If you will order…".
06 / 06
The three moves in a real exchange
Here is how the three moves sound together in a short, invented exchange. Customer: "We're looking for 200 office chairs, and our main priority is delivery before March. Is there any flexibility on the price?" Supplier: "If you confirm the order this week, we can offer a 5% discount." Customer: "What if we pay within 14 days? Could you cover the delivery costs as well?" Supplier: "We could agree to that as long as the order is confirmed by Friday." Customer: "That sounds reasonable. Let me just summarise what we've agreed…" Notice the rhythm: each side names a condition before it gives something away. Notice the tone, too: "could", "What if" and "as long as" keep the conversation friendly while the numbers stay clear. And notice how the customer closes with a summary instead of a simple "okay". At B1 you do not need clever tactics. Clear priorities, clean conditional offers and a careful summary will carry you through a simple negotiation — and if a point stays open, "Can we come back to that point later?" keeps the door open.