Meeting people at work

Read/Listen first

Yesterday I met a new contact at a conference, and we started talking about our jobs. She said her company develops medicine for pets and provides support to local clinics. I told her that my team manufactures electronic boards, and we also supply spare parts to partner factories. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for six years, so she has learned how to explain complex products in simple words. I have never delivered packages myself, but I have coordinated shipments when a client needed urgent delivery. Before we left, she asked what my company does for retail customers, so I explained that we sell online and retail accessories through distributors. Next month we are going to visit a client site together, and we would like to compare our processes. If the meeting goes well, we could plan a longer partnership.

⚡ Learning goals

• Ask and answer “What does your company do?” using clear verbs from the text.
• Describe your industry and role when you meet someone at a conference.
• Plan a next step politely (using going to / would like / could) after an introduction.

✨ Key language

• What does your company do? “We develop medicine for pets.”
• I work in the … industry. “I work in the pharmaceutical industry.”
• We’re going to… / We’d like to… “We’re going to visit a client site.”

⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures

1️⃣ Present Simple for company activity

Rule: Use the Present Simple to describe what a company regularly does (facts and routines).
Examples: My team manufactures electronic boards.; We supply spare parts to partner factories.; Her company develops medicine for pets.
Common pitfall + fix: Using Present Continuous for a general fact — Say “We supply…” (routine), not “We are supplying…” (temporary)..

2️⃣ Past Simple for a first meeting

Rule: Use the Past Simple for finished actions in the past (often with a past time marker).
Examples: Yesterday I met a new contact at a conference.; We started talking about our jobs.; Before we left, she asked a question.
Common pitfall + fix: Using Present Perfect with a finished time word (yesterday) — Say “I met…” (Past Simple), not “I have met…” with “yesterday”..

3️⃣ Present Perfect for experience

Rule: Use the Present Perfect to talk about life/work experience (no specific past time given).
Examples: She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for six years.; I have never delivered packages myself.; She has learned how to explain complex products.
Common pitfall + fix: Adding a finished time marker — Keep it general: “I have never delivered…” (no exact time)..

4️⃣ Going to / would like / could for planning politely

Rule: Use “going to” for a plan, “would like” for a polite intention, and “could” for a polite suggestion.
Examples: Next month we are going to visit a client site together.; We would like to compare our processes.; We could plan a longer partnership.
Common pitfall + fix: Sounding too direct — Prefer “would like” / “could” to soften requests and proposals..

✍️ Vocabulary

  develops

Meaning: creates and improves a product or idea over time
Synonyms: creates, improves, designs
Chunk/Idiom: develop medicine
Example: Her company develops medicine for pets.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: development; adj.: developmental; adv.: developmentally
Self-practice: Say one product your company develops.

  manufactures

Meaning: makes goods in a factory, usually in large quantities
Synonyms: produces, makes, builds
Chunk/Idiom: manufacture electronic boards
Example: My team manufactures electronic boards.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: manufacturing; adj.: manufactured; adv.: industrially
Self-practice: Say one thing your company manufactures.

  supplies

Meaning: gives or sells something that others need to use
Synonyms: provides, furnishes, delivers
Chunk/Idiom: supply spare parts
Example: We supply spare parts to partner factories.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: supply; adj.: supplied; adv.: reliably
Self-practice: Complete: We supply ____ to ____.

  provides

Meaning: offers a service or help to someone
Synonyms: offers, gives, delivers
Chunk/Idiom: provide support
Example: Her company provides support to local clinics.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: provision; adj.: provided; adv.: proactively
Self-practice: Say one service your company provides.

  delivers

Meaning: takes goods to a destination
Synonyms: brings, transports, ships
Chunk/Idiom: deliver packages
Example: I have coordinated shipments when a client needed urgent delivery.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: delivery; adj.: deliverable; adv.: promptly
Self-practice: Say: We deliver ____ by ____.

  retails

Meaning: sells products directly to the public
Synonyms: sells, markets, distributes
Chunk/Idiom: retail accessories
Example: We retail accessories through distributors.
Morphology: verb (3rd person singular); noun: retail; adj.: retail; adv.: commercially
Self-practice: Say one product you retail.

☁️ Examples (+ audio)

🔊 Play What does your company do in the electronics industry.

🔊 Play My company develops products, and it also provides customer support.

🔊 Play Yesterday I met a new contact and we talked about our work.

🔊 Play Next month we’re going to visit a client site to compare processes.

✏️ Exercises

Grammar

Vocabulary & Comprehension

✅ Guided practice

Mini-dialogue:

A: Nice to meet you. What do you do?
B: I’m a laboratory manager. I work in the pharmaceutical industry.
A: Interesting. What does your company do?
B: We develop medicine for pets and provide support to clinics.

Why this matters:

In business introductions, clear verbs help people understand your work quickly. Polite planning language (would like / could) keeps the conversation professional. Industry vocabulary helps you sound confident when networking.

Verb & Adjective Pack:

develop — We develop medicine for pets.
manufacture — We manufacture electronic boards.
urgent — It was an urgent delivery.
reliable — We need a reliable supplier.

Try & compare: