75+ Basic Spanish Words and Phrases for the Workplace
Spending time learning basic Spanish words and phrases for the workplace will help you not only at work but outside of the office, too! Every new word or phrase you learn will expand your vocabulary, improve your conversation skills, and enhance your understanding of casual conversation.
Don’t discount the seemingly small vocabulary words. They add up and are just as important to know as tricky verb conjugations. By learning the basic Spanish word for scissors at work, I was able to help my daughter with her homework many years later. ¿Dónde están las tijeras?
So, are you ready to learn 75+ basic Spanish words and phrases to help develop your language foundation for the workplace? Vamos a explorar. ¡Ven conmigo!
Basic Spanish Words for the Workplace
The workplace can look very different, depending on where you work. Because of the current pandemic, many people are working from home and their workplace has moved from an office to virtual Zoom meetings. For others who are going in to work, the physical workplace has changed with social distancing and mask requirements.
There are too many workplaces to quantify or describe. Perhaps you work at a cat café? Or on the beach with your laptop? Regardless of where you work, these basic Spanish words are sure to enhance your knowledge!
There are many perks to speaking Spanish, such as making you stand out at work by setting you apart from other colleagues. Being bilingual also increases your cultural competency and can help you gain resume experience that companies look for when hiring and promoting.
By learning these basic Spanish words, you can begin to speak at work with confidence.
Useful Basic Spanish Words and Phrases for the Workplace
So, you are able to speak Spanish en el trabajo (at work)—wonderful! Let’s walk through a typical day at la oficina (the office).
You are walking through the front doors of el edificio de tu empresa (the company building) and you are greeted with ¡Buenos dias! by la recepcionista. Today is going to be a good day.
Schedule a Meeting
As you log into tú computadora (your computer) and chequear el correo/email (check your email), you realize that it is time to calendarizar una reunión (schedule a meeting) as an urgent matter has come up.
What are some words and phrases you will need to make this happen? Let’s take a look:
Vamos a calendarizar una reunión con el grupo de trabajo para comenzar a trabajar en el proyecto.
Let’s schedule a meeting with the team so we can start working on the project.
Le envío el correo lo antes posible
I will send out an email as soon as possible.
- Phone call – la llamada
- Zoom call – llamada de Zoom
- Teleconference – la teleconferencia
- Videoconference – la videoconferencia
- Meeting – la reunión
Prepare For the Meeting
Ensure that you prepare well so that the meeting is successful!
El grupo de trabajo van a reunirse mañana para recibir una actualización. Prepararemos bien.
The team will meet tomorrow for an update. Let’s be prepared.
Vamos a asegurar que estemos en lo mismo plan con respecto al negocio.
Let’s ensure we’re on the same page regarding the plan.
Porque hay información nueva, tendremos que empezar de cero.
Because there is new information, we’ll have to start from scratch
No inventemos el agua azucarada, busquemos lo que se ha hecho antes.
Let’s not reinvent the wheel, we can look up what’s been done before.
- To prepare (oneself) well – prepararse bien
- Brainstorming – lluvia de ideas
- Strategy – la estrategia
- Presentation – la presentación
- Clarification – la clarificación
Invite the Right People
Be sure you address personal de la oficina (office personnel) properly. Let’s learn some vocab for possible key players at work.
- Boss – el jefe, la jefa
- Management – la gerencia
- Director – el director/la directora
- Colleagues – el compañero/la compañera, el/la colega
Begin the Meeting
You begin el día de trabajo (workday) with confidence. All of your colleagues are together on la llamada. Perhaps the topic is that there is una disrupción con la importación de las materiales de oficina (a disruption with the import of office supplies). Everything is held up in customs and you need to desarrollar un plan (to develop a plan) to proceed.
Here are some words to help you through the call. Ensure that you se quedan dentro del presupuesto (to stay within budget) and that customs doesn’t try to overcharge you. After all, the company still wants obtener beneficios (to turn a profit).
- Inventory – el inventario
- Price – el precio
- Cost – el costo
- Order – la orden
- Freight – la carga
- Money – el dinero
- Impact – el impacto
- Decision – la decision
- Updates – las últimas noticias
- To follow-up – dar seguimiento
Demos seguimiento en dos días para repasar el estatus.
Let’s follow-up in a few days to review the status.
Because of your savvy Spanish skills you were able to get the items out of customs, have them delivered to the office in a timely manner, and brief your team on the good news. Bien hecho.
The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Now you need to hire someone to oversee the supply chain so that this doesn’t happen again!
Hiring for a Job Position
You are looking for someone who already has experiencia en los negocios (business experience). Study these basic Spanish words to find the best person for the job.
- We are hiring – estamos contratando
- Interview – entrevista
- Requirements – requisitos
- Availability to work full-time – disponibilidad para trabajar tiempo completo
- Temporary contract – un contrato temporal
- Business card – la tarjeta de negocios/la tarjeta comercial
- Benefits – los beneficios
- Competition – la competencia
- Incentive – el incentivo
- Deadline – la fecha de entrega
- Corporation – la corporación
- Payroll – la planilla
- To be promoted – ascender
- Development – el desarrollo
- Process – el proceso
- Earn money – ganar dinero
- Waitlist – la lista de espera
- Company stock – las acciones
Estarémos en contacto con del trabajo.
We will keep you posted on the job
Well done! You are now a bilingual superstar and able to use basic Spanish words in the workplace!
Ready for More?
You just had a crash course in basic Spanish words useful in the workplace. ¿Listo para más? You’re making the right choice to learn Spanish! See for yourself with the Top 5 Benefits of Bilingualism in the Workplace!
Before you go, deepen your knowledge of working Spanish by learning the difference between formal and Informal ways of speaking with your coworkers.
Still not enough? We’re here to help!
While there are many resources available to learn Spanish such as Duolingo, an app will only take you so far in your fluency. Why? While apps introduce basic Spanish words, phrases, and sentences by providing flashcards, listening exercises, and quizzes, they do not engage you in real-world scenarios.
For example, you may learn the basic Spanish words to ask where the bus stop is, but can you enunciate this verbiage correctly so that a Spanish speaker will understand you?
To start polishing your Spanish conversation skills today, sign up for a free class and talk to one of our certified native Spanish teachers from Guatemala!
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