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How to Say Something Is Urgent at Work: 10 Business English Phrases
- May 22
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 1
In this article:
At work, urgent does not always sound right. Sometimes it feels too strong, too vague, or too dramatic. This article gives you 10 natural ways to say something needs a quick response - without sounding rude, panicked, or demanding.
For more useful phrases for problems, delays, and difficult situations at work, see our full guide to Business English for problems at work.
10 Natural Ways to Say Something Is Urgent at Work
Sometimes you need to tell someone something is urgent - without sounding rude or pushy. Here are 10 natural phrases you can use at work.
Phrase | When to use it |
This is time-sensitive. | The timing matters, and someone needs to act soon. |
This needs your attention today. | You need someone to look at it today. |
This can’t wait. | The situation is urgent and should not be delayed. |
We need this by the end of the day. | There is a clear same-day deadline. |
Could you make this a priority today? | You want to ask politely, but you still need it handled today. |
We’re on a tight timeline. | There is not much time to finish the work. |
We’re under a time crunch. | There is pressure to get something done quickly. |
This needs to be turned around quickly. | The work needs to be finished or sent back fast. |
We need to move on this today. | A decision or action needs to happen today. |
Please treat this as a priority. | You want to be direct and professional. |
Below, you’ll see when to use each phrase, how strong it sounds, and short workplace examples.
How to Say Something Is Urgent at Work: Workplace Scenario and Quiz
Read the situation below.
Suspicious Password Reset
A customer says they received a password reset email they did not request.
There is also a security alert on the account, and support needs the security team to check it before replying to the customer.
You message the security team:
This is _____. Can you look at it now?
A) follow-up B) catch-up
C) time-sensitive
D) time-sensible
Choose the best answer. Then listen to the sentence.
Using Business English Naturally at Work
Many learners understand a phrase when they read it, but the harder part is using it naturally in a real conversation at work.
That’s what you practice in Pro Vocabulary Lab.
Inside the program, you’ll work with:
realistic workplace situations
short dialogues based on real work conversations
speaking practice with natural Business English
Ready to sound more natural in real work conversations?
How to Say Something Is Urgent at Work
Let's break down the quiz options.
FOLLOW-UP
noun
a message, call, question, or action that comes after an earlier one
I sent a follow-up this morning.
This is a follow-up email about yesterday’s meeting.
She had one follow-up question before we moved on.
CATCH-UP
noun
a short talk or meeting where people update each other
Let’s have a quick catch-up tomorrow.
I missed the meeting, so I need a catch-up.
This is just a catch-up call, not a formal meeting.
TIME-SENSITIVE
adjective
needing attention soon because waiting could cause a problem
This is time-sensitive. Can you check it now?
The approval is time-sensitive. The file goes out today.
Please send me anything time-sensitive before you leave.
SENSIBLE
adjective
reasonable and practical
That sounds like a sensible plan.
It would be sensible to check with legal first.
She made a sensible decision and waited for approval.
Time-sensible is not a natural phrase.
That’s right! The correct answer is C) time-sensitive.
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More Ways to Say Something Is Urgent at Work
Now let’s look at other ways to say something is urgent at work.
We need this by the end of the day.
Also common at work: We need this by end of day.
neutral professional
= We need this before the workday ends.
Can you send the final report by the end of the day?
We need this by end of day so the client has time to review it tomorrow morning.
LEARNER NOTE
By the end of the day is the full, safest version. It works in speech, emails, and client communication.
By end of day is common business shorthand. You will often see it in emails, messages, and deadline notes.
Please send this as soon as you can.
polite professional
=Â Please send it soon.
Please send this as soon as you can. I want to review it before the meeting.
Could you send me the revised file as soon as you can today?
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This needs your attention today.
neutral professional
= You need to look at this or deal with it today.
This needs your attention today. The client is waiting for a final answer.
This issue needs your attention today.
This can’t wait.
strong, urgent
= This needs to be done now or very soon.
This can’t wait. They are about to cancel the order.
The link is broken on the payment page, so this can’t wait.
QUICK CHECK
Business English Phrase Quiz
Imagine this: A customer asked for a refund last week, but the request sat in the shared inbox and no one handled it.
Now the customer has contacted the bank, and the payment may turn into a dispute.
You message the billing team:
This is urgent. Could you make this _____ today?
A) prioritize
B) a priority
C) prior
D) prioritization
Choose the best answer. Then listen to the sentence.
Answer
The correct answer is B) a priority.
LEARNER NOTE
Can you make this a priority today? = more spoken, direct
Could you make this a priority today? = softer,more polite
Please make this a priority today. = more direct, managerial
Practice this phrase inside Pro Vocabulary Lab: Handling Time Pressure at Work.
We’re on a tight timeline.
neutral professional
= We do not have much time to finish something.
We’re on a tight timeline, so let’s update the page we already have.
We’re on a tight timeline, and I need the draft by 12 PM.
We’re under a time crunch.
Also common: We're in a time crunch.
conversational professional
= We are short on time and need to work quickly.
We’re under a time crunch. The client needs an answer today.
We’re under a time crunch, so let’s not spend an hour debating small wording changes.
This needs to be turned around quickly.
professional
= This needs to be finished, reviewed, or sent back quickly.
This needs to be turned around quickly because our client wants it today.
Can you help with this? It needs to be turned around quickly.
What does "We're under a time crunch" mean?
Answer
What does "We're under a time crunch" mean?
A) We missed the deadline B) We need more details C) We don't need to decide yet
D) We don't have much time
The correct answer is D.
Review the meaning here.
We need to move on this today.
conversational professional
= We need to take action today.
We need to move on this today, or we’ll miss the deadline.
The vendor needs an answer, so we need to move on this today.
We need to act on this today.
professional
= We need to do something about this today.
This customer sent the same complaint twice this week. We need to act on this today.
The payment didn’t go through; the order is still on hold. We need to act on this today.
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Please treat this as a priority.
formal professional
=Â Please do this before other less urgent work.
Please treat this as a priority. They need an answer before the end of the day.
The address is still wrong. Please treat this as a priority.
What does "This needs to be turned around quickly" mean?
Answer
What does "This needs to be turned around quickly" mean?
A) It needs to be finished quickly
B) It needs to be discussed later
C) It needs to be started again
D) It needs more people involved
The correct answer is A.
Review the meaning here.
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Quick Practice: Complete the Phrases
Complete each phrase with the missing word. All the phrases come from the article above.
Tap or click each image to make it larger.
Answer Key
Check your answers below.
1/5Â This is time-sensitive.
2/5 This can’t wait.
3/5 We’re under a time crunch.
4/5Â We need to act on this today. Also: We need to move on this today.
5/5Â Can you make this a priority today?
Want the PDF Guide and Audio Practice?
You can continue practicing these phrases inside Pro Vocabulary Lab: Handling Time Pressure at Work.
Inside the lesson, you get a short PDF guide, realistic workplace dialogues with audio, and practice scenarios that help you use the phrases out loud — not just recognize them on the page.
Practice What to Say When Something Is Urgent
Read the scenario. What would you say in this situation?
Canceled subscriptions
Three customers canceled their subscriptions last month, but they were charged again this morning.
Support can refund them one by one, but no one knows yet if more customers were charged by mistake.
You are the manager who has to deal with this urgently.
What would you say to the team?
Say two or three sentences you would use in the meeting. Briefly explain the problem, then tell the team what needs to happen today.
Want to Check Your Answer?
In Pro Vocabulary Lab: Handling Time Pressure at Work, you can check a model answer for this situation, take a short quiz, and practice saying the phrase out loud.
The lab is built around workplace problems where the phrase would actually come up. You choose what to say, hear how it sounds, and practice using the phrase in a situation that feels real.
Erin West is a Business English coach, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons, quizzes, and workplace scenarios for English learners who want to sound more natural at work. Her lessons include real workplace phrases and everyday business situations, so learners can practice English they can actually use.