You know the vocabulary of your job. What trips people up in meetings is the glue: how to open, interrupt politely, disagree without sounding rude and close with clear next steps. These phrases are the ones you will hear in offices across Latin America.
All phrases use usted/ustedes, the safe choice in professional settings in most of Latin America. Switch to tú when your colleagues do.
Opening the meeting
English
Spanish
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming.
Buenos días a todos. Gracias por estar aquí.
Shall we get started?
¿Empezamos?
The goal of today's meeting is…
El objetivo de la reunión de hoy es…
We have three points on the agenda.
Tenemos tres puntos en la agenda.
Let's do a quick round of introductions.
Hagamos una ronda rápida de presentaciones.
Giving your opinion
English
Spanish
In my opinion…
En mi opinión…
From my point of view…
Desde mi punto de vista…
I think it would be a good idea to…
Creo que sería buena idea…
What I suggest is…
Lo que propongo es…
The data shows that…
Los datos muestran que…
Interrupting and asking to speak
English
Spanish
Sorry to interrupt, but…
Perdón que interrumpa, pero…
May I add something?
¿Puedo agregar algo?
If I may…
Si me permiten…
Going back to what Ana said…
Volviendo a lo que dijo Ana…
Agreeing and disagreeing politely
Latin American business culture usually softens disagreement. Starting with what you agree with makes the "but" much easier to hear.
English
Spanish
I completely agree.
Estoy totalmente de acuerdo.
That's a good point.
Es un buen punto.
I see your point, but…
Entiendo su punto, pero…
I'm not sure that's the best option.
No estoy seguro de que sea la mejor opción.
Have we considered…?
¿Hemos considerado…?
I see it a bit differently.
Yo lo veo de otra manera.
Notice the subjunctive after no estoy seguro de que: sea, not es. It is one of the most useful structures for sounding diplomatic.
Asking for clarification
English
Spanish
Could you repeat that, please?
¿Podría repetirlo, por favor?
Could you explain that in more detail?
¿Podría explicarlo con más detalle?
What do you mean by…?
¿A qué se refiere con…?
Just to make sure I understand…
Para asegurarme de que entendí…
Talking about numbers and deadlines
English
Spanish
The deadline is Friday.
La fecha límite es el viernes.
We are on schedule.
Vamos según lo planeado.
We are a week behind.
Vamos con una semana de retraso.
The budget is tight.
El presupuesto está ajustado.
Sales went up by 10%.
Las ventas subieron un 10 %.
Closing with next steps
English
Spanish
To sum up…
Para resumir…
So, the next steps are…
Entonces, los próximos pasos son…
Who will take care of this?
¿Quién se encarga de esto?
I'll send you a summary by email.
Les envío un resumen por correo.
Thank you all for your time.
Muchas gracias a todos por su tiempo.
How to make these phrases stick
Reading a list is the easy part. Using a phrase when your client is waiting for an answer is the hard part. Pick five phrases, write them on a sticky note before your next meeting and use at least two. Even better, rehearse the meeting out loud beforehand, ideally with someone who can push back the way a real colleague would.
