Salary negotiation in English is not about being aggressive or having a perfect script. It is about knowing which phrases signal confidence and which ones accidentally signal that you will accept whatever you are offered. Most learners undersell themselves not because they lack the language but because they use the wrong register — too tentative, too apologetic, or too stiff. This matters because recruiters and hiring managers expect negotiation. They have a budget range, not a fixed number, and the first offer is almost always built with room to move. The company is not doing you a favor by making an offer — they want you, and they already planned for you to push back.
The single most damaging phrase in a salary negotiation is "Is there any possibility of…" It sounds polite in most languages. In English professional culture it sounds like you are asking for a favor, not making a request you expect to be taken seriously. Replace it with a direct statement: "I was expecting something closer to X" or "Based on my research, I was targeting a range of X to Y." These are normal sentences. They do not sound rude. They sound like someone who prepared. This matters because the framing of your first response sets the tone for everything that follows.
When you receive an offer, the worst thing you can do is respond immediately — in either direction. "Thank you, I'm really excited about the role. Can I have a couple of days to review the full package?" is not stalling; it is standard, and any reasonable employer expects it. Use that time to research the market rate (Glassdoor, Levels.fyi for tech, LinkedIn Salary), identify the number you actually want, and decide your walk-away point before you go back. Coming back with a counter after thinking it over is far stronger than negotiating in the moment when you are surprised. This matters because decisions made under pressure almost always favor the person who prepared.
The counter itself should have a number and a reason, not just a number. "I'd like to come in at X — I bring Y years of experience in Z, and based on market data for this role in this city, X reflects that" is a complete counter. You do not need to justify every dollar or cite three sources. One concrete reason is enough. What you want to avoid is the apologetic counter: "I know this might be a lot to ask, but if it's possible, maybe something like X?" — that phrasing undermines the number before the other person has even responded. This matters because in negotiation, how you say the number is almost as important as the number itself.
Salary is not the only thing on the table, and learners often forget this entirely. If the base is fixed, ask about the rest: signing bonus, equity, extra vacation days, remote work flexibility, professional development budget, or an earlier performance review. "Is there flexibility on the signing bonus?" and "Could we revisit the base after six months?" are both legitimate. "The salary works for me — is there room to move on the equity?" shows you understand how compensation packages are built. This matters because companies often have more room in non-salary items, and those items are real money over time. Silence is a tool. After you say your number, stop talking. Learners, especially in a second language where pauses feel more uncomfortable, tend to fill silence by softening what they just said — "but of course I'm flexible" or "that's just a rough idea." Every word after your number makes it smaller. Native speakers know this too; they use silence deliberately. If the other side goes quiet, let them. They are thinking, not rejecting you. This matters because the first person to speak after the number is usually the one who concedes.
If the answer is no — the budget is fixed, the band is set, it is truly not movable — the right response is "I understand, thanks for being direct. Let me think about the full package and come back to you." This is not defeat. It gives you time, keeps the relationship intact, and occasionally prompts the recruiter to check one more time. What you do not want to say is "okay, that's fine" in the same breath as hearing the no, which closes the loop before you have even thought it through.
The candidates who get the best outcomes are the ones who prepared, said their number clearly, gave one good reason, and then waited. In English, that combination — direct, grounded, unhurried — does not need to announce itself as confidence. It just sounds like someone who knows what they are worth.