Moderator

How to run a meeting in Spanish

Open the room, manage turns, park tangents, and close with clear agreements — out loud.

CONVERSATION PACK · 6 LESSONS · C1

Running a meeting in Spanish means giving the floor, and the phrase is dar la palabra or cederle el turno — never the literal dar el piso. Frame before you start (el objetivo de hoy es aterrizar tres decisiones concretas), and soften every act of authority with the subjunctive: propongo que aparquemos ese debate, les pido que respeten — direct imperatives like escuchen bruise the room. Interrupt with tact (disculpa que te corte, Carlos, pero creo que Marta todavía no había terminado su idea) and close by naming what was and wasn't agreed: quiero dejar claro en qué quedamos.

Below: the phrases that open, referee and close a discussion, what facilitators actually say in Mexico and Argentina, the calques that give you away — and a live panel to moderate out loud before you chair the real thing.

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The phrases that carry the conversation

Apertura y encuadre de la discusión

Buenos días a todos, les agradezco que hayan hecho un hueco en su agenda para estar aquí.Good morning everyone, thank you for making room in your schedule to be here.
El objetivo de hoy es aterrizar tres decisiones concretas antes de que terminemos.Today's goal is to land three concrete decisions before we finish.
Antes de entrar en materia, me gustaría proponer un par de reglas básicas para que la conversación fluya.Before diving in, I'd like to propose a couple of ground rules so the conversation flows.
Vamos a escucharnos sin interrumpir y a dejar que cada persona termine su idea.We're going to listen without interrupting and let each person finish their point.

Manejar interrupciones

Disculpa que te corte, Carlos, pero creo que Marta todavía no había terminado su idea.Sorry to cut you off, Carlos, but I think Marta hadn't finished her point yet.
Te anoto el comentario y lo retomamos en cuanto cerremos este punto.I'll note your comment and we'll come back to it as soon as we close this point.
Entiendo la urgencia, pero si hablamos todos a la vez no vamos a avanzar.I understand the urgency, but if we all talk at once we won't make progress.
Vamos a respetar el turno de palabra; después te doy espacio para responder.Let's respect the speaking order; I'll give you space to respond afterwards.

Cierre y síntesis

Para cerrar, quiero dejar claro en qué quedamos y en qué todavía no hubo acuerdo.To close, I want to be clear on what we agreed on and what we didn't yet agree on.
Nos llevamos tres compromisos concretos y dos temas pendientes para la próxima reunión.We're leaving with three concrete commitments and two pending items for the next meeting.
Antes de terminar, ¿alguien siente que quedó algo sin decir?Before we end, does anyone feel that something was left unsaid?
Les agradezco la franqueza; entiendo que no todos los puntos eran fáciles de abordar.I appreciate your candor; I understand not all the points were easy to address.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

English	Mexico	Argentina
we're drifting off topic	nos estamos yendo por las ramas	nos fuimos del eje
hold on — let her finish	aguas, déjala terminar	pará un toque
let me check I understood you	a ver si te entendí bien	corregime si me equivoco

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

Traducir 'to give the floor' literalmente como 'dar el piso'.en español se dice 'dar la palabra' o 'cederle el turno a alguien'.
Usar 'actualmente' para decir 'actually'.'actualmente' significa 'nowadays'; para 'actually' usa 'en realidad' o 'de hecho'.
Emplear imperativo directo con un grupo ('cállense', 'escuchen').modera con subjuntivo y cortesía: 'les pido que nos escuchemos', 'propongo que...'.

The part no phrase list can do

Rehearse it before it's real

Isabella

Your conversation teacher for this pack

In the Moderator pack, the big conversation puts you on stage: a 60-minute panel in a conference auditorium, three panelists, an audience of 80 — and two of the panelists are already mid-argument when you take the mic. Isabella plays the academic host evaluating your moderation craft: calm, attentive, marking a tiny notebook every time you protect a quieter voice, deciding whether you can chair next quarter's roundtable. You set the ground rules, cut off a dominant speaker without bruising egos, draw out the expert who hasn't spoken, park a tangent, and close by naming consensus, dissent and next steps. Out loud. With the clock running:

Two panelists begin overlapping aggressively; the student must interrupt one of them respectfully, name the speaking order, and protect the floor for the quieter expert
An audience question takes the panel on a tangent unrelated to the session goal; the student must park the tangent gracefully without making the asker feel dismissed
Time runs short and consensus hasn't emerged; the student must distinguish in real time what was agreed, what remained contested, and what gets a follow-up session

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 6 lessons and Moderator is yours — earned, not given.

First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

How do you say 'to give the floor' in Spanish?

Dar la palabra or cederle el turno a alguien — the literal dar el piso means handing someone the flooring. In practice: te paso la palabra or la palabra es tuya.

How do I interrupt someone politely in a Spanish meeting?

Apologize for the cut and give the reason: disculpa que te corte, Carlos, pero creo que Marta todavía no había terminado su idea. Or defer rather than deny: te anoto el comentario y lo retomamos en cuanto cerremos este punto.

How do I get a meeting back on track in Spanish?

Name the drift kindly — es un tema interesantísimo, pero creo que se nos escapa del foco que nos trajo hoy — then redirect: volvamos un momento a la pregunta original antes de abrir otro frente. Colloquially: nos estamos yendo por las ramas, regresemos al tema.

How do I open a meeting in Spanish?

Thank, frame, and set the rules: buenos días a todos, les agradezco que hayan hecho un hueco en su agenda, then el objetivo de hoy es aterrizar tres decisiones concretas antes de que terminemos, and antes de entrar en materia, me gustaría proponer un par de reglas básicas.

How do I close a meeting with clear action items in Spanish?

Separate the agreed from the open: para cerrar, quiero dejar claro en qué quedamos y en qué todavía no hubo acuerdo. Then commit to the record: les envío un acta con los acuerdos a más tardar mañana al mediodía.