Spanish for Business: Vocabulary and effective ways to learn
Spanish will always be a valuable language to learn, whether for traveling, meeting new people, or doing business -or working- in any Spanish-speaking country.
Are you planning to start doing business in Colombia? or are you planning to move to Colombia for work?
Does your current job require you to speak with suppliers or customers from Colombia or any Spanish-speaking country?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, this article will be helpful!
Even if this isn’t the case for you, you never know when knowing Spanish will come in handy.
Also, remember Spanish is gaining a lot of popularity; thus, knowing the language might increase your professional career options and might also help boost your salary.
Top business phrases to learn in Spanish
Today we will learn some words and phrases in Spanish frequently used when doing business or working.
Greetings
If you are arriving at the office or at a meeting, you can use:
- Hola
Hi - Buenos días/tardes
Good morning/Afternoon
In case you are writing an email, you can also use a more formal greeting:
- Estimado/a (nombre),
Dear (name)
To use this one, you must add the name of the person and adjust it accordingly if it refers to a woman or a man, or a group of people (plural)
- Estimado Pablo,
- Estimada María.
- Estimado Sr. Rodríguez
- Estimada Sra. Villarreal
- Estimados Colegas
Another useful vocabulary for Emails
| Spanish | English |
| Espero se encuentre muy bien | I hope you are well |
| Saludos cordiales/Cordial saludo | Kind regards |
| Sinceramente | Sincerely |
| No dude en contactarme | Don’t hesitate to contact me |
| Espero escuchar de usted pronto | I look forward to hearing from you soon |
| Quedo atento/a a su respuesta | I look forward to your response |
| Adjunto envío | Find attached |
| ¿Me podría reenviar el correo electrónico? | Could you forward me the email? |
Discussing Business Topics
| Spanish | English |
| Me gustaría presentar el proyecto | I would like to present the project |
| Tienes la palabra | You can start the conversation |
| Estoy de acuerdo | I agree |
| No estoy de acuerdo | I disagree |
| No comparto tu opinión | I don’t share your opinion |
| Se trató de un pequeño malentendido | It was a small misunderstanding |
| Me gustaría hacer una sugerencia | I would like to make a suggestion |
| Envíeme su propuesta | Send me your proposal |
| ¿Cuándo firmamos el contrato? | When do we sign the contract/agreement? |
| Es un placer hacer negocios con su firma | It is a pleasure to do business with you. |
| Revisemos el contrato/la propuesta | Let’s go through the contract/proposal |
Business Meeting in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
| ¿Qué tal si programamos una reunión? | Shall we schedule a meeting? |
| La reunión está programada para hoy | The meeting is scheduled for today |
| Confirmo mi asistencia | I confirm attendance |
| ¿Podría reservar la sala de reuniones? | Could you reserve the meetings room? |
| La reunión empieza a las… | The meeting starts at… |
| Damos inicio a la reunión de negocios | It’s time to start the business meeting |
| Es un placer conocerlo/conocerla | It is a pleasure to meet you |
| Me podría dar una tarjeta de presentación | Could I have your business card? |
| Presten atención a los siguientes puntos | Pay attention to the following points |
Top Business Words to Learn in Spanish
Spanish Business Verbs
| Spanish | English |
| Aprobar | To approve |
| Analizar | To analyze |
| Aumentar | To raise |
| Autorizar | To Authorize |
| Calcular | To calculate |
| Cancelar | To cancel |
| Comprar | To buy |
| Contratar | To hire |
| Confirmar | To confirm |
| Desarrollar | To develop |
| Despedir | To lay off, to fire |
| Entregar | To deliver |
| Escribir | To write |
| Gerenciar | To manage |
| Invertir | To invest |
| Llamar | To call |
| Mejorar | To improve |
| Organizar | To organize |
| Revisar | To check |
| Reclutar | To recruit |
Useful Vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
| Entrevista de Trabajo | Work interview |
| Contrato Laboral | Labor Contract |
| Contrato Fijo o Indefinido | Fixed or Indefinite Contract |
| Tiempo Completo o Medio Tiempo | Full Time or Part Time |
| Prácticas | Internship |
| Voluntariado | Volunteering |
| Empresa | Company |
| Negocio | Business |
| Mercado | Market |
| Clientes | Clients, Customer |
| Consumidores | Consumers |
| Proveedor | Supplier |
| Fabricante | Manufacturer |
| Oferta y Demanda | Supply & Demand |
| Bienes y Servicios | Goods & Services |
| Industria | Industry |
| Precio | Price |
| Cotización | Quotation |
| Descuento | Discount |
| Contrato | Contract |
| Factura | Invoice |
| Exportaciones e Importaciones | Exports & Imports |
| Aduana | Customs |
| Riesgo | Risk |
| Pérdidas y Ganancias | Profit & Loss |
| Costos | Costs |
| Director Ejecutivo | CEO |
| Director Financiero | CFO |
| Director de Operaciones | COO |
| Presidente y Vicepresidente | President & Vice President |
| Gerente General | General Manager |
| Director General | Managing Director |
| Accionista | Shareholder |
| Socio/a | Partner |
| Junta Directiva | Board Of Directors |
| Ejecutivos | Executives |
| Contratistas | Contractors |
| Secretaria | Secretary |
| Empleados | Employees |
| Asociados | Associates |
| Colegas | Colleagues |
| Personal | Staff |
| Departamento de Administración | Administration Department |
| Departamento de Finanzas | Finance Department |
| Departamento de Marketing | Marketing Department |
| Departamento de Ventas | Sales Department |
| Departamento Legal | Legal Department |
| Recursos Humanos | Human Resources |
Effective Ways to Learn Spanish for Business
Spanish, apart from being a fascinating language, has become increasingly necessary in either personal or professional settings.
Suppose your motivation to learn Spanish is more career/work-related. In that case, you must understand that a professional level is only acquired by practice, and it could take you some years to get there.
However, Spanish-speaking countries and work settings usually are very friendly. People love when non-Spanish speakers are learning the language. They will be kind to you, help you improve, and correct you if you allow them to.
Here, there are other valuable resources you can use to learn and improve your Spanish for business
1. Read, read a lot!
You can’t imagine the amount of vocabulary you will learn and the improvement in the grammar you will have.
Choose books related to your professional field, it will give you not only extra knowledge of your field but also the good technical vocabulary you won’t find in literature books.
2. Watch tutorials, documentaries or TedTalks
Oral comprehension is as important as reading comprehension. Watching technical videos, talks, and similar content in Spanish will also help you tune your ears to different accents.
You can add subtitles at first to help you understand but try to remove them eventually; otherwise, you will get used to it!
3. Listen to podcasts and other audio resources
If you already have an intermediate-advance level of Spanish, explore the audio talks. Choose any of your preferences, whether it is Podcasts, Clubhouse, or AudioBooks. This could be more challenging, but that’s the way to improve.
4. Get private Spanish for Business classes
Remember that we have specialized Spanish for business classes at Learn More Than Spanish. Let us know your goals, and we will design a plan specifically for you!
If you are in Bogota, you can join our in-person classes. If not, don’t worry, we also have online classes!
We hope this article has been helpful for you! Now, start practicing this vocabulary and phrases with your colleagues and associates!
Also, don’t forget to read our weekly Blog and follow our Social media to learn more about the Spanish language and Colombian culture.
