[비즈니스영어 협상4] 영어로 조건부 제안하기 – "만약~라면" 고급 표현

*dimplemood의 비즈니스 영어 공부 기록

 

조건부 제안 영어 완벽 가이드!
conditional 비즈니스 영어,
협상과 회의에서 유연하게 제안하는 법을 정리했습니다.

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Intro.

협상할 때 가장 강력한 문장 패턴이 있어요.

"If you can do X, we can do Y."

 

단 하나의 문장 구조인데
이걸 얼마나 자연스럽고 다양하게 쓸 수 있느냐가
협상가의 수준을 결정해요.

 

"If" 하나로 할 수 있는 것들:

• 할인을 받으면서 상대에게도 뭔가 주고
• 내 요청을 부드럽게 포장하고
• 단호하게 거절하지 않으면서 선 긋고
• 창의적인 타협안을 제시하고

한국어로는 "~라면", "~할 경우", "~한다면"
이렇게 쓰는 표현들인데,

영어에서는 훨씬 다양한 패턴이 존재해요.

 

오늘은 비즈니스 협상과 회의에서
조건부 제안을 자연스럽게 구사하는
고급 표현들을 정리했습니다!

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dimplemood 실무 TIP!

1. 기본 If 구문 – 협상의 기본기

가장 기본적인 패턴:

If you [Condition], we can [Offer].
If we [Action], would you be able to [Response]?

 

실전 예시:

"If you can increase the order to 2,000 units, we can reduce the price by 8%."

"If we extend your payment terms to 60 days, would you be able to commit to a quarterly order?"

"If you need faster delivery, we can expedite for an additional 10% fee."

 

활용 팁:

• If절과 주절 순서 바꿔도 OK
• "If you... we..." = 조건 먼저
• "We... if you..." = 제안 먼저 (더 적극적)

예문:
"We can offer a 10% discount if you can confirm the order by end of this week."

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2. "Provided that" / "As long as" – 격식 있는 조건

단순 If보다 더 공식적이고 강한 조건:

 

Provided that:
We can [Offer], provided that [Condition].
"We can meet that deadline, provided that we receive the full deposit by Monday."

 

As long as:
We're happy to [Offer], as long as [Condition].
"We're happy to extend the warranty to 3 years, as long as the product is used under normal conditions."

 

On the condition that:
We can agree to [Term], on the condition that [Requirement].
"We can agree to the revised pricing, on the condition that this remains confidential."

 

활용 팁:

• "Provided that" = 가장 격식 있음
• "As long as" = 조금 더 캐주얼
• 계약 이메일, 공식 협상에서 효과적

예문:
"We can hold this price for 6 months, provided that the volume commitment is met each quarter. If volumes fall short, we'll need to revisit the pricing structure."

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3. "In the event that" – 예외 상황 대비

예상치 못한 상황을 미리 커버:

In the event that [Situation], [Response/Plan].

"In the event that shipment is delayed beyond 5 days, we will provide a 5% discount on the affected order."

"In the event that you need to cancel, please notify us at least 30 days in advance to avoid penalties."

"In the event that demand exceeds our capacity, we will prioritize existing long-term partners."

 

활용 팁:

• 계약서, 공식 이메일에 많이 사용
• "If" 보다 격식 있고 법적 뉘앙스
• 리스크 관리 상황에서 유용

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4. "Assuming that" – 가정 기반 제안

아직 확정되지 않은 조건을 가정하고 논의:

Assuming [Condition], we would [Action].
"Assuming the contract is signed by the end of June, we can guarantee Q3 delivery."

"Assuming everything checks out on your end, we'd be ready to move forward next week."

"Assuming there's flexibility on the timeline, I think we can make this work."

 

활용 팁:

• 상대방 결정을 기다리는 상황
• 아직 확정되지 않은 전제
• "If" 보다 덜 직접적, 더 부드러움

예문:
"Assuming we can align on the pricing by Thursday, I see no reason we can't have a signed agreement by Friday. Does that timeline work for you?"

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5. "Should" – 격식 있는 If 대체

If보다 좀 더 공식적인 조건 표현:

Should [Condition], [Result].

"Should you require any modifications, please notify us 2 weeks in advance."

"Should the quality not meet your standards, we will replace the goods at no charge."

"Should any issues arise, our team is available 24/7."

 

활용 팁:

• "If you require" → "Should you require" (더 격식)
• 계약서, 공식 서신에서 자주 등장
• 조건을 더 정중하게 표현

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6. "Unless" – 역방향 조건

"~하지 않으면"의 표현:

We will [Action], unless [Condition].

"We will proceed as planned, unless we hear otherwise from you by Friday."

"The price remains valid unless there are significant changes in raw material costs."

"We can ship next week, unless the customs documentation is delayed."

 

❌ Unless vs If not:

"Unless you confirm by Friday" = 금요일 전 확인 안 하면
"If you don't confirm by Friday" = 같은 의미이나 "unless"가 더 격식

 

예문:
"We'll keep the production slot reserved for you unless we hear otherwise by Wednesday. Could you confirm either way by then?"

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7. 조건부 타협 – 더 자연스러운 패턴

협상에서 주고받는 흐름 만들기:

 

패턴 1: 제안 + 조건
"We could potentially [Concession], if you could meet us halfway on [Other term]."

패턴 2: 조건 + 혜택 강조
"If you commit to [Condition], not only will we [Benefit 1], but also [Benefit 2]."

패턴 3: 질문 형태
"Would you be open to [Offer], if we were able to [Condition]?"

패턴 4: 가정 형태
"What if we [Proposal]? Would that address your concern about [Issue]?"

 

실전 예시 (협상):

"We could potentially move on price if you could commit to a 12-month contract. That would give us the volume certainty we need to justify the discount."

"If you commit to quarterly orders, not only will we offer a 10% discount, but we'll also dedicate a dedicated account manager to your account."

"Would you be open to a 6-month pilot, if we were able to offer you preferential pricing during that period?"

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8. 조건부 거절 – 부드럽게 선 긋기

단호한 거절 대신 조건부로:

 

❌ 단순 거절:
"We can't do that."
"That's not possible."

 

✅ 조건부 거절:

"We wouldn't be able to do that unless the volume commitment significantly increases."

"That would only be possible if we could adjust the payment terms as well."

"We could consider that, provided we can revisit the exclusivity clause."

"I'm not sure we could get there on price – unless we're talking about a much larger order."

 

활용 팁:

• 거절이지만 문을 열어두는 효과
• 상대에게 다른 가능성 제시
• 관계 유지하면서 입장 고수

예문:
"We wouldn't be able to offer that discount on a standalone order of this size. That would only be possible if we were looking at a long-term supply agreement. Is that something you'd be open to exploring?"

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9. 미래 가정 – 더 부드러운 조건

가능성을 열어두는 표현:

 

Would/Could 활용:

If [Condition] were possible, we would [Result].
-> "If earlier delivery were possible, we would prioritize this order."

Should you be interested, we could [Offer].
-> "Should you be interested, we could arrange a trial shipment at a reduced MOQ."

If you were to [Action], we would [Response].
-> "If you were to extend the contract by 6 months, we would lock in current pricing."

 

예문:
"If you were to consider a 12-month commitment, we would be in a much better position to offer the kind of pricing you're looking for. Would that be something worth exploring?"

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10. 조건부 표현 이메일에서 쓰기

이메일 협상 표현:

제안 이메일:
"Should you wish to proceed under these terms, please let us know by [Date], and we will reserve the production slot."

조건 명시:
"This offer is valid until June 30th, provided that order volume meets the agreed minimum of 1,000 units."

유연성 표현:
"If there are any aspects of this proposal you'd like to discuss further, we're happy to schedule a call."

조건부 동의:
"We can agree to the revised delivery schedule, on the condition that the deposit is transferred by this Friday."

 

실전 이메일 예시:

Dear [Name],

 

Thank you for your response. We'd like to propose the following:

 

We can offer $13.50 per unit, provided that:
1. The order quantity is confirmed at 2,000+ units
2. Payment is made by irrevocable L/C or 30% T/T deposit
3. Order is confirmed by June 25th

 

Should these conditions work for you, we can begin production immediately and guarantee delivery by August 1st.

 

If any of these points need further discussion, I'm happy to jump on a call this week.

 

Best regards,

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⚠️ 조건부 표현 주의사항

❌ 조건이 너무 많음:
If + If + If... → 상대 혼란, 협상 지연

✅ 핵심 조건만:
가장 중요한 조건 1-2개로 집중

 

❌ 조건만 많고 혜택 불명확:
"If you do X, we can consider Y..."
→ "Consider"는 너무 애매

✅ 혜택 구체적으로:
"If you do X, we will specifically Y."

 

❌ 실현 불가능한 조건:
상대가 절대 충족 못하는 조건 제시
→ 협상 의지 없는 것처럼 보임

✅ 현실적인 조건:
상대가 실제로 고려할 수 있는 조건

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📌 실전 협상 시나리오

시나리오 1: 가격 협상

Buyer: "Can you do $12?"

You: "We can get closer to $12 if we can structure this as a quarterly commitment of at least 1,500 units. At that volume, I could get to $12.50. Would that work?"

Buyer: "What if we do 1,000 units per quarter?"

You: "At 1,000 per quarter, the best I could do is $13. However, if you're open to a 12-month contract with guaranteed quarterly orders, I could potentially get to $12.80. That gives us both some certainty."

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시나리오 2: 납기 협상

Buyer: "We need this by July 1st."

You: "July 1st is very tight given our current production schedule. That said, if we were to prioritize this order, it would mean a 15% rush fee. Alternatively, if July 10th is workable for you, we could commit to that date at the standard price. Which would you prefer?"

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시나리오 3: 결제 조건

Buyer: "Can we do Net 60?"

You: "We'd be open to Net 60, provided the order value exceeds $50,000 and you have an established payment history with us. For this first order, would Net 45 be workable? Once we've completed 2-3 successful transactions, we'd be happy to extend to Net 60."

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📌 조건부 표현 빠른 참조

기본:
If you [X], we can [Y].
We can [Y], if you [X].

 

격식:
Provided that / As long as / On the condition that / Should you / In the event that

 

역방향:
Unless [Condition], we will [Action].

 

가정:
Assuming that / If you were to / Should you wish to

 

거절:
That would only be possible if... / We wouldn't be able to... unless...

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📌 체크리스트

조건부 제안 전:
□ 핵심 조건 1-2개 정하기
□ 내가 줄 수 있는 혜택 명확히
□ 상대에게 현실적인 조건인지 확인
□ Bottom line 확인

 

제안 후:
□ 상대 반응 경청
□ 카운터 제안 받을 준비
□ 합의 내용 서면 확인

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🌟 조건부 제안 = 협상의 언어

"If... then..."은 단순한 문법이 아니에요.
상대에게 선택권을 주면서
동시에 내 입장을 지키는
협상의 핵심 언어입니다.

 

조건부 제안의 3가지 힘:

1. 유연성 – "No" 대신 "Yes, if..."
2. 공정성 – 주고받는 균형
3. 창의성 – 새로운 해결책 가능성

 

dimplemood의 실전 꿀팁:
협상 전에 "If-Then 카드"를 미리 만들어요.
내가 줄 수 있는 것 (Price, Timeline, Terms)과
내가 받아야 할 것 (Volume, Payment, Commitment)을
조합해서 3-4개 시나리오를 준비해두면
어떤 방향으로 협상이 흘러도 당황하지 않아요!

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어제 피드백 표현에 이어
오늘은 조건부 제안 고급 표현을 다뤘어요!

 

 

내일은 OPIc AL 받은 내가 추천하는 비즈니스 영어 공부법을 다뤄볼게요.