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Business English Vocabulary: Talking about the Future (+ Quiz)
- Erin West
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 4
Things change fast in the workplace — new projects, new tools, and unexpected challenges. To describe what you think will happen next, you need the right business English vocabulary. Native speakers often use short, natural expressions to talk about future possibilities and predictions at work.
Today’s quiz focuses on one of those useful phrases. It’s something you’ll hear in meetings, planning sessions, and everyday business conversations — a great way to make your English for work sound clear, confident, and professional.
Today's Challenge:
It’s Friday afternoon.
The team has been talking about the same technical issue for days, but no one has found the time to fix it.
Your manager looks at the report and says:
If we don’t fix this problem soon, it’s bound _____ worse.
A) get
B) got
C) getting
D) to get
Choose the correct option and listen to the sentence.
Now, let’s look at what this expression means and how you can use it naturally at work.
What does "be bound to" mean?
BE BOUND TO + V1
When something is bound to happen, we’re almost sure it will happen.
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The new project is bound to succeed — the idea is strong.
If we delay again, costs are bound to increase.
Without regular updates, problems are bound to appear.
That's right! The correct answer is D) to get.
Business English Vocabulary: How to Talk About Probability and Certainty in English
In business, we often need to say how certain we are about future events — whether we expect something to happen, think it might, or doubt it will. English offers several natural ways to express this, from adjectives like likely and unlikely to adverbs such as probably, definitely, and certainly. Here’s how to use them clearly and confidently when talking about future results, plans, or outcomes.
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LIKELY / UNLIKELY TO V1
adjectives
Use likely to and unlikely to to talk about how probable something is — how sure you are that it will (or won’t) happen.
be likely to + V1 / It is likely (that) something will V1 = there’s a good chance it will happen
be unlikely to + V1 / It is unlikely (that) something will V1 = there’s a small chance it will happen
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It’s likely to rain during the event, so bring umbrellas.
She’s unlikely to agree with the new policy.
The results are likely to improve after the next update.
It’s likely that sales will increase this quarter.
It’s unlikely the team will finish before Friday.
It’s likely that we’ll need more resources for the next phase.
PROBABLY / DEFINITELY / CERTAINLY
adverbs
Use probably, definitely, and certainly to show how sure you are that something will happen in the future.
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Something will probably + V1 = there’s a good chance it will happen
Something will definitely / certainly + V1 = you’re very confident it will happen
We’ll probably finish early.
They’ll definitely notice the difference.
The app will certainly get more users after the redesign.
It will probably take longer than expected.
They’ll definitely want to discuss the results.
Practice What You’ve Learned — Take the Quick Quiz
Now it’s your turn to see these expressions in action. The short quiz below will help you check how well you can use likely, probably, definitely, and certainly in real business situations. Read each sentence carefully, and choose the most natural option to complete it. Check your answers and listen to the sentences.
ANSWER KEY - QUIZ
1. It’s _____ we’ll have to work late this week — the client just moved up the deadline.
A) definitely
B) likely
C) bound
2. We’ve just introduced a new system for handling customer feedback. This will _____ help us improve our customer service.
A) certainly
B) bound
C) probable
3. I’ll probably _____ the call from home today — my internet’s faster there.
A) join
B) to join
C) joining
4. With their experience, they’re bound _____ the contract.
A) win
B) to win
C) winning
5. The initial proposal includes several optional expenses that seem unnecessary. _____ unlikely they’ll approve the budget without a few changes.
A) It
B) It’ll
C) It’s
6. We’ve started using a new project-tracking tool instead of manual spreadsheets. This approach _____ definitely save us time in the long run.
A) will
B) is
C) -
Missed our post on Business English idioms? Catch up here!
Erin West is a Business English educator, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons, quizzes, and learning materials that help professionals use clear, natural, and confident English at work — with just the right amount of fun.
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