What are key phrases for leading a meeting in Spanish
Here are key phrases for leading a meeting in Spanish, organized by different stages of the meeting. In business settings, the most useful meeting language is direct, polite, and action-oriented: opening clearly, guiding turn-taking, moving back to the agenda, and closing with decisions or next steps.
Starting the Meeting
- ¿Podemos empezar? (Can we begin?)
- Vamos a comenzar la reunión. (Let’s start the meeting.)
- Bienvenidos, gracias por asistir a esta importante reunión. (Welcome, thank you for attending this important meeting.)
- Parece que ya estamos todos, comencemos. (It seems like we’re all here; let’s begin.)
- El objetivo de esta reunión de negocios es… (The objective of this business meeting is…)
A strong opening in Spanish usually includes three elements: greeting the group, stating the purpose, and signaling the structure. In formal meetings, reunión is the safest word for “meeting,” while junta is common in some regions and company cultures, especially in Mexico and parts of Latin America. In Spain and many international workplaces, la reunión sounds more neutral and widely understood.
Useful opening phrases often sound more natural when the goal is stated in one sentence:
- El objetivo de hoy es revisar… — The goal today is to review…
- Quisiera empezar con… — I’d like to start with…
- Antes de entrar en materia… — Before getting into the main topic…
- La idea es tomar decisiones sobre… — The idea is to make decisions about…
During the Meeting
- El siguiente punto en la agenda es… (The next item on the agenda is…)
- Si me permiten agregar algo… (If I may add something…)
- Creo que es importante mencionar… (I think it’s important to mention…)
- ¿Puedo compartirles una idea? (May I share an idea with you?)
- Me gustaría hacer una observación. (I’d like to make an observation.)
- Sigamos con el próximo punto en la agenda. (Let’s continue with the next item on the agenda.)
- ¿Alguien tiene algo que agregar? (Does anyone have anything to add?)
- Lamento la interrupción… (I’m sorry for the interruption…)
- Volviendo a la agenda… (Coming back to the agenda…)
These phrases help keep the discussion moving without sounding abrupt. Sigamos is a useful inclusive command, similar to “let’s continue,” and it tends to feel less forceful than continuemos in everyday business speech. Volviendo a la agenda is especially practical when side comments start to take over; it redirects the group without explicitly criticizing anyone.
A few more phrases are especially helpful for steering discussion:
- Me gustaría darles un breve resumen. — I’d like to give you a brief summary.
- ¿Podríamos aclarar ese punto? — Could we clarify that point?
- Eso merece una discusión aparte. — That deserves a separate discussion.
- Para no desviarnos del tema… — So we don’t drift off topic…
- ¿Podría hablar uno por vez, por favor? — Could one person speak at a time, please?
The polite forms puede and podría are standard in professional Spanish. Podría sounds softer and is often better when asking the group to do something, especially if the meeting is tense or formal.
Making Decisions and Assigning Tasks
- ¿Qué proponen que hagamos al respecto? (What do you propose we do about it?)
- Tenemos que tomar una decisión. (We have to make a decision.)
- ¿Están todos a favor de esta decisión? (Is everyone in favor of this decision?)
- ¿Puede usted hacerse cargo de este proyecto? (Can you be in charge of this project?)
- Necesitamos que usted le dé seguimiento a este tema. (We need you to follow up on this topic.)
Decision-making language in Spanish often relies on clear verbs such as decidir, acordar, asignar, and dar seguimiento. In many workplaces, dar seguimiento means to monitor, follow up on, or keep track of an issue until it is resolved. It is one of the most practical phrases for project meetings because it points directly to responsibility.
Other useful expressions for this stage include:
- ¿Cuál es la mejor opción? — Which is the best option?
- Entonces, quedamos en que… — So, we agreed that…
- Yo me encargo de eso. — I’ll take care of that.
- ¿Quién puede preparar el informe? — Who can prepare the report?
- Fijemos una fecha límite. — Let’s set a deadline.
When assigning tasks, Spanish often uses usted in formal settings and tú in less formal teams. In a mixed or international context, staying with usted avoids sounding too familiar.
Closing the Meeting
- Hemos cubierto todos los puntos de la agenda. (We’ve covered all the items in the agenda.)
- ¿Alguien quiere agregar algo antes de finalizar? (Does anybody have anything to add before finishing?)
- Eso es todo por hoy, continuamos con la agenda mañana. (That’s it for today; we’ll continue with the agenda tomorrow.)
- Fijemos hora y día para nuestra próxima reunión. (Let’s set a time and date for our next meeting.)
- Gracias a todos por venir, nos vemos a la próxima. (Thank you all for coming; see you next time.)
A good closing in Spanish usually does four things: confirms that the agenda is complete, summarizes decisions, assigns follow-up, and sets the next meeting if needed. Hemos cubierto todos los puntos is a clean way to signal that the formal part is over, while ¿Alguien quiere agregar algo antes de finalizar? gives the group one last chance to raise a missing issue.
Other practical closing phrases include:
- Entonces, resumimos los acuerdos de hoy. — So, let’s summarize today’s agreements.
- Les enviaré las notas de la reunión. — I’ll send the meeting notes.
- Queda pendiente… — What remains pending is…
- Nos vemos en la próxima reunión. — See you at the next meeting.
Pronunciation and tone
Spanish meeting phrases work best when they sound calm and controlled. Final consonants are often softened in natural speech, so reunión, decisión, and atención may sound less sharply articulated than in classroom recordings. Clear stress matters more than perfectly crisp endings: reu-nión, de-ci-sión, a-ten-ción.
Tone also matters in small words. Por favor, gracias, si me permiten, and si no les importa make requests sound cooperative rather than commanding. In meetings, a phrase that is grammatically correct but too blunt can feel abrupt, especially across cultures where indirectness is preferred.
Common mistakes to avoid
One common mistake is translating meeting language too literally from English. For example, hacer una reunión means “to hold a meeting” in some contexts, but tener una reunión or celebrar una reunión is often more natural depending on the region and register. Another common issue is using agenda to mean the meeting itself; in Spanish, la agenda usually means the list of topics or the schedule, not the meeting as a whole.
Another frequent pitfall is overusing very formal wording in a team that speaks more casually. A phrase like le solicito respetuosamente que… is grammatically fine, but in many workplaces ¿podría…? or necesitamos que… sounds more natural and efficient.
Quick reference for meeting-leading language
- Open the meeting: ¿Podemos empezar? / El objetivo de esta reunión es…
- Move through topics: El siguiente punto en la agenda es… / Volviendo a la agenda…
- Invite comments: ¿Alguien tiene algo que agregar? / ¿Puedo compartirles una idea?
- Make decisions: Tenemos que tomar una decisión. / ¿Están todos a favor?
- Assign follow-up: ¿Puede usted hacerse cargo…? / Necesitamos que le dé seguimiento…
- Close the meeting: Hemos cubierto todos los puntos… / Fijemos hora y día…
These phrases are enough to guide a professional meeting from start to finish in Spanish with clear structure, polite control, and practical follow-through.