English for Programmers: Key Phrases and Vocabulary

If you work in technology and want to become more confident in English, here's a practical and straightforward guide. You'll learn key phrases and vocabulary used daily in meetings, code comments, technical emails, and other common development situations.

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What is this article about?

This article is specifically designed for technology professionals who want to take the next step and start working in English. For example, they will:

Participate in technical meetings in English.

Collaborate with international teams.

Use platforms such as GitHub, Jira, Slack, among others.

They want to improve their technical English with real-life, applicable examples.

Throughout this guide, you'll discover the phrases actually used in the development world—not academic or textbook phrases.

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Phrases for meetings and daily stand-ups

Daily stand-ups are a fundamental part of agile methodologies. Here are some useful phrases:

“Yesterday, I

worked on the login module. ”

“Today I'll

fix the authentication bug. ”

“

I'm blocked by a missing API response.”

“

Let's sync later to clarify this.”

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Reminder: Learning phrases is useful, but practicing saying them in a real-life setting is what makes the difference. At Language learnings, we combine technical knowledge with conversational practice in coach-led groups. Explore how it works.

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Key phrases for code reviews and pull requests

GitHub and other collaborative repositories require clarity. Some common phrases:

“Can you please review this PR?”

(Can you review this pull request?)

“

This change improves performance significantly.”

“

I left a comment regarding the logic here. ”

“

Let's merge this after your approval. ”

Essential technical vocabulary

If you're already a programmer, many of these terms are likely familiar to you. However, understanding them clearly in your own language can help you explain them better to others, write clearer documentation, or even prepare for technical interviews in English.

Algorithm: A sequence of steps to solve a problem. For example, a search engine uses an algorithm to decide which results to display first.

Argument: The value passed to a function when it runs. The program uses that argument to perform the corresponding operation.

Array: A data structure that stores a list of elements of the same type under a single name. Useful for grouping related variables.

Camel case: A way of naming variables using lowercase letters for the first word and uppercase letters for the beginning of subsequent words, as in myImportantVariable.

Char (Character): Abbreviation for "character", it is a data type that represents a single letter, number, or symbol.

Class: In object-oriented programming, a class defines a type of object and its behaviors. It helps organize and reuse code.

Conditional statements: Instructions that allow decisions to be made, such as “if the user logs in, show their profile.”

Constant: A value that does not change during program execution. It can be a number, character, or text string.

Else statements: These are used in conjunction with conditionals to define what the program should do if the condition is not met.

Event: An action that triggers behavior in the program, such as a mouse click.

Expression: Any mathematical or logical operation in code. For example, a + b is an expression.

For loop: Structure that repeats a block of code a defined number of times.

If statement: Allows code to be executed only if a certain condition is met. This is the basis of flow control in most languages.

Iteration: Each individual repetition within a loop, such as for or while.

Nested: Refers to functions or structures within others. For example, a for loop within another for loop.

Operator: A symbol that performs an operation, such as +, -, ==, !=, etc.

Syntax: Rules that define how to correctly write code in a specific language. Each language has its own syntax.

While loop: Executes a block of code while a condition is met. Useful when you don't know how many times the code should be repeated.

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Effective writing in Slack, Discord, or email

Written communication is critical. Here are some helpful tips:

“Just checking in on this…”

“

Let me know if anything is unclear. ”

“

Thanks for the heads-up. ”

“

Can we jump on a quick call? ”

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Common mistakes to avoid

Confusing "actual" with "current"

Actual in English means real, not current.

Use current to talk about the present moment.

Translate literally from Spanish

Instead of saying “I have 10 years working as a developer,” say

“I've been working as a developer for 10 years.”

Ignore phrasal verbs

Learn verbs like roll out , set up , hand over , shut down , which are essential.

Additional resources (bonus)

Hackterms : Community-maintained glossary.

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Conclusion

English is much more than a requirement on your CV. It's a tool for communicating, collaborating, and growing in the tech world. Mastering these phrases and terms will allow you to participate more confidently in global teams and advance your career.

Remember: you don't need to speak perfectly, you need to speak clearly. And that's learned by practicing with what you actually use every day.

Ready to move from vocabulary to real conversation? At Language learnings, the best language learning platform we help you practice English with other professionals in interactive sessions focused on effective communication.