language learning center · B2 · Lesson 7
Negotiation and compromise
Clarify priorities, make conditional offers, and reach a workable compromise.
Understand and learn
Work from a natural example to useful language, one small pattern, a spoken attempt, and a response that is relevant to your life.
Elena
Our main concern is the deadline; the exact format is less important.
Elena distinguishes a priority from a flexible point.
Sam
If we deliver the first part on Friday, would you be willing to wait until Tuesday for the rest?
Sam makes a conditional offer.
Elena
That could work, as long as the Friday version includes the key figures.
Elena accepts while defining a non-negotiable condition.
Sam
Agreed. That gives you the essentials and gives us enough time to check the details.
Sam confirms how the compromise benefits both sides.
Notice, try, and speak
Understand a natural example and learn a small set of useful words, phrases, and patterns.
Useful words and phrases
These items were selected by the lesson curriculum for practical use—not extracted as an every-word list.
Our main concern is…
State a priority.
Our main concern is the deadline; the exact format is less important.
We have some flexibility on…
Identify room for movement.
We have some flexibility on…
If we…, would you be willing to…?
Make a conditional offer.
If we…, would you be willing to…?
That could work, as long as…
Accept with a condition.
That could work, as long as the Friday version includes the key figures.
That seems like a fair compromise.
Confirm a balanced agreement.
That seems like a fair compromise.
Notice, try, and speak
Which response makes a clear conditional offer?
Make it yours
Negotiate a small agreement in English using a priority, a flexible point, and a conditional offer.
Choose a realistic decision about time, responsibilities, plans, or shared resources.
Use it with someone
Reach a workable compromise in English
- 1. Our main concern is…
- 2. We have some flexibility on…
- 3. If we…, would you be willing to…?
- 4. That could work, as long as…
- 5. That seems like a fair compromise.