An invoice is overdue — how to word the first payment reminder in English: friendly, clear and without threats.
B1 · Monologue · 3 Min. · free
Tip: listen to the episode twice before you start the test. · Worksheet (PDF)
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Transcript
Key phrases
Language notes
In this episode an accountant dictates a first payment reminder in English: a friendly subject line, a neutral reference to the records, a clear payment request with a new date and a closing without threats. You learn the key phrases for payment reminders in English (level B1) — and why "bekommen" is never "become".
An English payment reminder does not accuse, it documents: "According to our records, invoice 4711 is still outstanding." The phrase anchors the statement in your own records — if the customer has already paid, nobody loses face. The closing line "If you have already made the payment, please ignore this email" works the same way: it removes any sting and protects the relationship.
"To become" means "werden" — not "bekommen". The sentence "We have not become your payment" literally means "we have not turned into your payment" and earns you a smile at best, confusion at worst. The correct verb is "to receive": "We have not yet received your payment." The little "yet" matters — it signals that you still expect the payment to arrive.
The first reminder assumes no bad intent: "Perhaps the invoice has slipped through — this happens to all of us." That sentence gives the customer a face-saving way out. It is followed immediately by the clear request with "by" and a concrete date: "May we ask you to settle the amount by the fifth of August?" In English, politeness and firmness are not opposites — the question form "May we ask you …?" is friendly, while the date itself is not up for debate.
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Frequently asked questions
Level B1 (CEFR). The monologue uses clear business English with distinct pronunciation; the vocabulary list explains all eight key phrases bilingually.
In four steps: a friendly subject line ("Friendly reminder: invoice 4711"), a neutral opening ("According to our records … still outstanding"), a clear request with a date ("settle the amount by the fifth of August") and a closing without threats ("please ignore this email if you have already paid").
No. "To become" means "werden" (to turn into). German "bekommen" is "to receive" (or informally "to get"): "We have not yet received your payment."
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