B1 · Intermediate · Negotiating · 258 words · ~2 min read

🌾 The Flour Supplier

Language focus: Bargaining & negotiating

The Secret Recipe of Borough Market

Before you read

Negotiating in English is a genre with its own vocabulary, and this episode uses most of it. Notice that nearly every move is softened — even the refusal — and that the idioms carry the tone the plain words would not.

Mr Okonkwo had supplied flour to Ferns & Flour for over thirty years. His stall, piled high with plump sacks of golden grain, smelled wonderfully of warm wheat. “Your great-grandmother always used my finest stoneground flour,” he said, “but I’m afraid it doesn’t come cheap these days.”

Nadia was working with a very tight budget, so she had to negotiate carefully. “I honestly can’t pay that much,” she said. “Could you possibly knock the price down a little, for an old family friend?” Mr Okonkwo chuckled to himself. “You drive a hard bargain, just like your gran did.”

In the end, the two of them settled on a fair price, and he even threw in a small sack of rye for free. “For luck,” he said with a wink. They shook hands firmly, and Nadia felt a welcome flicker of her old confidence beginning to return.

Before she left, Mr Okonkwo paused thoughtfully. “There was one thing your grandmother always added,” he said. “A special ingredient she bought from someone else entirely. I never did learn what it was — but the food critic, Pemberton, just might know.” Another lead, another door to knock on.

She had worked out beforehand exactly how low she could go, which is the only real preparation a negotiation needs. When Mr Okonkwo named his price she did not flinch.

Walking away with the rye under her arm, Nadia realised she had enjoyed it. Her grandmother, apparently, had haggled with the same man every Thursday for thirty years, and he had missed it.

Key vocabulary (6 words)

stallnoun: A small open shop or table at a market.
sacknoun: A large bag made of strong material.
wheatnoun: The grain used to make flour and bread.
budgetnoun: The amount of money you have to spend.
negotiateverb: To discuss something in order to reach an agreement.
confidencenoun: The feeling of being sure about your abilities.

Phrasal verbs in this episode

knock down — To knock down a price means to reduce it.
throw in — To throw in means to include something extra for free.
settle on — To settle on something means to decide or agree on it.

Idioms in this episode

drive a hard bargain — To drive a hard bargain means to argue firmly to get a good deal.
meet someone halfway — To meet someone halfway means to reach a compromise that suits both sides.

The grammar in this episode

Softened refusal: I’m afraid and I honestly can’t

“I’m afraid it doesn’t come cheap.” “I honestly can’t pay that much.” I’m afraid has nothing to do with fear; it is the standard English preface to bad news. Honestly before a refusal signals that this is a real limit rather than a bargaining position.

Could you possibly for the ask

“Could you possibly knock the price down a little, for an old family friend?” The request stacks could, possibly, the diminutive a little, and a personal appeal. English negotiators soften the ask and let the numbers be firm, which is the reverse of what many learners expect.

knock down, throw in, settle on

Knock down = reduce a price; separable, so knock it down. Throw in = include for free; separable. Settle on = agree upon; inseparable, and it needs the on. These three verbs describe most of what happens in any haggle.

Negotiation idioms carry respect

You drive a hard bargain is a compliment, not a complaint — it acknowledges skill. Meet someone halfway proposes a compromise without either side losing face. Both are frozen phrases, and both work because they frame the negotiation as a shared game rather than a fight.

Phrases you can reuse today

I’m afraid that’s more than I can pay.: I’m afraid = the standard preface to bad news.
Could you knock the price down a little?: Knock down = reduce. Separable.
Shall we meet halfway?: Idiom: propose a compromise.
You drive a hard bargain.: Idiom, and a compliment about negotiating skill.

Comprehension quiz

What does Mr Okonkwo supply?
- Flour
- Cheese
- Paint
Show answer
Flour
Why must Nadia negotiate carefully?
- She has a tight budget
- She has too much money
- She dislikes him
Show answer
She has a tight budget
“Knock the price down” means to…
- reduce it
- raise it
- pay it
Show answer
reduce it
“Drive a hard bargain” means to…
- argue firmly for a good deal
- drive a lorry
- give up
Show answer
argue firmly for a good deal
What does he “throw in” for free?
- A small sack of rye
- A loaf of bread
- A coffee
Show answer
A small sack of rye
Who might know the secret ingredient?
- Pemberton, the food critic
- The Queen
- A tourist
Show answer
Pemberton, the food critic

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Negotiate a price in six lines, softening every request.
Use knock down, throw in and settle on in your own sentences.
Is haggling normal where you live? Describe how it works.