When you learn Spanish at home or take online Spanish lessons to improve your Spanish for the office, it’s important to learn idioms. Idioms, or idiomatic expressions, are common words and phrases that may not translate exactly to English but are used a lot. You should learn Spanish phrases for the office enough to recognie them and use them yourself. Idioms common in business Spanish will help you sound natural, which will boost your confidence in a Spanish-speaking office environment. Are you aiming to work in an international setting where Spanish is used in meetings or around the office?
15 useful Spanish phrases you can use at work
Welcome to business Spanish
Whether you are chatting on your first day or facilitating a staff meeting, there are scenarios where business Spanish expressions are absolutely necessary. Lingoda offers corporate Spanish training courses for those who need intensive preparation, but many intermediate Spanish speakers can get by with a few business Spanish phrases. Let’s imagine running a team meeting in Spanish. Meetings always start with a welcome.
1. Bienvenidos a todos – Welcome to everyone
2. Gracias por su tiempo – Thank you for your time
3. Hoy día en la agenda/Hoy en la orden del día – Today on the agenda…
4. Reunión (meeting) – Be careful not to use cita which typically means “date” in the romantic sense.
5. Si hay algunas dudas – If there are any doubts/questions…
Simple phrases for speaking by phone in Spanish
Business Spanish interruption phrases
Running a meeting takes more than just Spanish vocabulary, it also requires time management. It’s up to the group leader to stay on topic. To keep things moving down the agenda, sometimes you need to interrupt people. In an office setting, it’s important to interrupt in a polite and respectful manner.
6. Disculpe – sorry/excuse me
7. Perdón – pardon/sorry/excuse me
8. Parece que – It seems that…
9. Tenemos que seguir la agenda – We have to follow the agenda
10. ¿Por qué no hablemos de este tema pasado manana/en la siguiente reunión? – Why don’t we talk about this topic the day after tomorrow/at the next meeting? – Note: Here you need to use the subjunctive tense in Spanish.
Just as in English, be sure to acknowledge that each person contributes something valuable, and then take charge and move on.
5 things Spanish people always say
Spanish terms for tech
Regardless of what industry you work in, it’s likely that your work deals with aspects of technology. Especially right now, many global industries are creatinng a new normal and working from home is becoming typical. We are all moving towards remote work and we need to speak about our virtual environment in Spanish. Tech in Spanish is another area where vocabulary differs from country to country, but here are some common Spanish terms for tech.
11. Correo electronico – e-mail. Note: Some people just say “e-mail” using Spanish pronunciation.
12. Montar el archivo – Download the file or Descargar el adjunto – Download the attachment
13. Enlace – link
14. Videollamadas – video calls/videchat i.e. Zoom meetings
15. Desactiva el sonido – Mute the audio
These phrases will get you through a virtual meeting in Spanish without any embarrassment. Whether you are new to the office, running a meeting, or talking tech with your co-workers, these Spanish phrases will help you fit in at work. When you talk the talk, you will feel confident in your abilities amongst your Spanish-speaking co-workers. Have you considered applying to work in a Spanish speaking office?
Alison Maciejewski Cortez
Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.
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