Some of us love meetings, while others would rather write an endless e-mail in order to avoid them. Whether we like them or not, there is no need to panic when we are invited to a meeting in which the common language is Spanish. Business meetings should not necessarily be boring. In fact, the more we add, the more our colleagues or clients will appreciate our participation in the meeting.
But let’s be honest, business meetings can be intimidating if we are dealing with clients who speak great Spanish, colleagues who have been working for a long time and are familiar with the language, or simply because we don’t feel confident enough.
Luckily, today I will share some useful vocabulary you can use in business meetings in Spanish so that you feel much more confident next time you need to chair or interact in a meeting:
1. Phrases to open the meeting
a. Muy buenos días/ buenas tardes, muchas gracias por estar aquí hoy.
Good day/afternoon, thank you very much for being here today.
b. Buenos días a todos*. Les agradezco su presencia el día de hoy.
Good day everybody. I thank you all for being here today.
c. Bienvenidos a todos* Me alegra recibirlos hoy en English & Spanish Today.
Welcome, everybody. I appreciate having you in English & Spanish Today.
*Remember that in Spanish, in order to include both men and women, you can say todos y todas so that you don’t exclude greeting women. Another way of using inclusive language would be by using neutral words such as todas las personas (all the people).
2. Sharing the objectives of the meeting
a. Hoy estamos aquí para (discutir el proyecto de fin de año.)
Today we will (discuss the end-of-year project.)
b. El motivo de esta reunión es llegar a un acuerdo para decidir…
The aim of this meeting is to come to an agreement to decide…
c. Los he convocado a esta reunión para tomar una decisión.
I have asked you to be here today to take a decision.
3. Phrases for sharing the agenda
a. Primero vamos a escuchar a (Micaela que es directora de… .)
First, we are going to listen to (Micaela, the director of… .)
b. Luego / Después compartiremos nuestras opiniones.
We will then share our opinion.
c. A continuación, tomaremos una pequeña pausa.
Next, we will take a short break.
d. Y por último conversaremos sobre…
Finally, we will talk about…
4. Phrases to interrupt
a. Disculpa que te interrumpa (tú) OR Disculpe que lo interrumpa (usted)
Sorry to interrupt you
b. Perdona, ¿puedo decir algo? (tú) OR Perdone, ¿puedo decir algo? (usted)
Excuse, may I say something.
c. Disculpa/Perdona, me gustaría agregar algo si no te molesta. (tú)
Disculpe/Perdone, me gustaría agregar algo si no le molesta. (usted)
Excuse me, I would like to add something if you don’t mind.
5. Phrases for moving forward
a. Si nadie tiene más que decir podemos continuar con…
If nobody has anything else to share, we can continue to…
b. El próximo tema que tenemos que tratar es…
The next topic we need to cover is…
c. Bien, pasemos al siguiente tema.
Okay, let’s move on to the next topic.
6. Phrases to redirect the conversation
a.Bueno, como estaba diciendo, creo que es importante…
Well, as I was saying, I think it’s important to…
b. Vale, pero no nos vayamos por las ramas. Volvamos al tema principal que es…
Okay, but don’t beat about the bush. Let’s get back to the main topic which is…
c. Lo que dices es importante, pero primero debemos resolver este tema.
What you’re saying is relevant but we first need to solve this matter.
7. Phrases to ask someone to speak in a meeting
a. A ver Roxana, ¿tú que piensas sobre…?
Let’s see Roxana, what do you think about…?
b. Buena pregunta, creo que Sebastián sabe de eso y nos puede ayudar, ¿no Sebastián?
Good question. I think that Sebastián knows about that and he can help us, can’t you, Sebastián?
c. Me gustaría saber qué piensas tú, Lucas.
I’d like to know what you think, Lucas.
8. Phrases for closing a meeting
a. Muy bien, creo que eso es todo por hoy.
All right, I think that’s all for today.
b. Me gustaría seguir, pero es hora de ir terminando por hoy.
I’d like to go on, but it’s time to round up.
c. Y eso es todo por hoy si no me equivoco.
And that’s all for today if I’m not wrong.
9. Phrases to thank in a meeting
a. Les agradezco mucho nuevamente su presencia hoy.
Thank you very much for your presence today.
b. Sin más me despido y les agradezco haberme acompañado hoy.
Without further ado, I say goodbye and thank you for joining in today.
c. Muchas gracias por su participación hoy y hasta la próxima.
Thanks a lot for being here today and see you next time.
I hope you find these business meeting phrases in Spanish useful and if you want to check our blogs in Spanish don’t forget to read Common mistakes in Spanish and how to avoid them.
If you need guidance on how to improve your Spanish skills to be better prepared to do business with Spanish-speaking clients at work, or you want to prepare for an international exam to have better opportunities abroad, do contact us. Book your FREE SESSION and LET’S TALK!
