Budget Review and Adjustment
The team reviews the allocated budget for the office relocation, discusses unexpected costs, and makes necessary adjustments or requests for additional funds.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
allocation
The act of assigning a specific amount of money or resources to a particular purpose, like budgeting for a project.
budget
A financial plan that outlines how much money will be spent on different items or activities.
tracking
The process of monitoring or recording something over time, such as expenses, to stay organized.
unexpected
Something that happens suddenly and was not planned for, like surprise costs in a project.
overshoot
To exceed or go beyond a planned limit, especially in spending more money than budgeted.
contingency fund
A reserve of money set aside for unexpected problems or emergencies in a budget.
reallocate
To move money or resources from one area to another within a budget to cover new needs.
draft
To write a first version of a document, like a letter or report, before finalizing it.
breakdown
A detailed list or analysis that shows how costs or information are divided into parts.
flexibility
The ability to change or adapt plans easily when situations require it, like in teamwork.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
Alright team, let's go over the office relocation budget.
This sentence starts a meeting discussion politely using 'let's go over' to mean 'review together.' It's useful for leading team talks on plans or finances, showing good leadership in professional settings.
Could you pull up the initial allocation?
A polite request using 'could you' for asking someone to display or retrieve information, like on a screen. Intermediate learners can use this in meetings to ask for data without being demanding.
I've been tracking expenses, and we're looking at some unexpected costs.
Uses present perfect continuous 'I've been tracking' to describe ongoing actions up to now. This is practical for business reports, explaining monitoring and surprises, helping learners discuss project updates.
How much higher are we talking, Lisa?
An informal way to ask for specific details using 'how much' and 'are we talking' for clarification. Useful in discussions to get precise numbers, common in casual professional conversations.
It's about 10% over the IT moving line item.
Explains an overrun with 'over' meaning exceeding a budget part ('line item'). This structure is key for financial talks, teaching percentages and budget terms for intermediate business English.
Do we have any buffer in the current budget, or are we looking at a request for additional funds?
Uses 'or' to present alternatives in a question, with 'buffer' for extra money. Helpful for budget meetings to discuss options, practicing conditional planning and polite inquiry.
We'll need to reallocate, or probably request an additional $5,000 to be safe.
Suggests actions with 'or' for choices and 'to be safe' for caution. This is useful for proposing solutions in team decisions, emphasizing practicality in resource management.
I think requesting additional funds is the safest bet.
Expresses opinion with 'I think' and idiom 'safest bet' meaning most reliable choice. Great for advising in discussions, teaching idiomatic expressions for risk-averse recommendations.
Could you draft a formal request for the additional $5,000, detailing the reasons?
A task assignment using 'could you' politely, with 'detailing' as a gerund for specifics. Essential for delegating in workplaces, focusing on grammar of requests and document preparation.
Consider it done.
A confident response meaning 'I'll handle it immediately.' Short and idiomatic, perfect for agreeing to tasks in professional emails or talks, building fluency in affirmative replies.