Negotiation Ninja
Anchor your number, trade concessions, and close the deal — firmly, politely, out loud.
Never apologize for your number — anchor it: mi expectativa se sitúa en torno a los ciento veinte mil, backed by market data, not perdón, sé que es mucho. Make every offer conditional with the past subjunctive — si accedieran a mejorar el bono anual, estaría dispuesto a flexibilizar la fecha — because the si accedieran… estaría pattern trades value instead of surrendering it. Soften firm asks with quisiera or me gustaría rather than a blunt quiero, and close with commitment verbs: me comprometo a, quedamos en que.
Below: the phrases that anchor, trade and close, what dealmakers actually say from Mexico City to Buenos Aires, the mistakes that cost you money — and a live negotiation to rehearse out loud before the real one.
The warm-up pack
The lines that anchor a number, trade a concession, and get the agreement onto paper before the room clears.
01 · The anchor
Tomando en cuenta mi trayectoria y el valor de mercado, mi expectativa se sitúa en torno a los ciento veinte mil.
Taking into account my track record and market value, my expectation is around one hundred twenty thousand. — Casually in Mexico: mi expectativa anda por los ciento veinte.
This is the anchor — a number backed by data, said before anyone can lowball you. Andar por softens the same figure for a less formal sidebar.
02 · No apology needed
Entiendo que la cifra pueda sorprenderles, pero responde a datos salariales verificables del sector.
I understand the figure may surprise you, but it responds to verifiable salary data from the sector.
The line that replaces sorry. You defend the number by pointing at evidence, never by softening it.
03 · What's actually driving the ask
Más allá del salario bruto, lo que realmente me importa es la trayectoria de crecimiento.
Beyond the gross salary, what really matters to me is the growth trajectory.
Más allá de… lo que realmente is the hinge that moves the conversation from position to interest — the move that actually gets things traded.
04 · A trade, not a giveaway
Si accedieran a mejorar el bono anual, estaría dispuesto a flexibilizar la fecha de incorporación.
If you agreed to improve the annual bonus, I'd be willing to be flexible on the start date. — Casually: le entro si me suben el bono.
Si accedieran… estaría dispuesto packages a concession as a trade. Every yes comes with a because.
05 · Naming the stall
Parece que hemos llegado a un punto muerto; quizá convenga pausar y reenfocar.
It seems we've reached a deadlock; perhaps it's wise to pause and refocus.
Saying the deadlock out loud stops it from turning into a standoff — it buys room without conceding anything.
06 · Negotiate the sum, not the parts
Consideremos el paquete global; evaluarlo línea por línea nos deja peor a ambos.
Let's consider the overall package; evaluating it line by line leaves us both worse off.
This is how you trade salary for equity or vacation without the whole deal unraveling item by item.
07 · Flexible, not soft
Puedo moverme, sí, pero no sin contrapartidas concretas sobre la mesa.
I can move, yes, but not without concrete trade-offs on the table.
Flexibility with no price tag reads as weakness. This line keeps you generous and firm in the same breath.
08 · Forcing the honest answer
Permítame una pregunta honesta: ¿qué tendría que ocurrir hoy para que cerráramos este acuerdo?
Allow me an honest question: what would have to happen today for us to close this deal?
Makes the other side name their real blocker instead of stalling politely forever.
09 · Recap before anyone stands up
Entonces, si les parece, recapitulemos los términos acordados para evitar malentendidos posteriores.
So, if that works for you, let's recap the agreed terms to avoid later misunderstandings.
A deal that isn't recapped out loud has a way of un-happening by Monday. Say it before the handshake, not after.
10 · Make the deadline real
Me comprometo a dar una respuesta definitiva dentro de las cuarenta y ocho horas siguientes.
I commit to giving a definitive response within the following forty-eight hours.
Me comprometo a turns a friendly nod into something you can actually hold someone to.
11 · On paper, not just agreed
Firmemos lo conversado y pongámoslo por escrito para que no quede espacio a interpretaciones.
Let's formalize what we've discussed and put it in writing so no room is left for interpretations.
The real close. A verbal handshake isn't an agreement until it's on paper — say so, don't just hope for it.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/negotiation-ninjaRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| my number is around 120 | mi expectativa anda por los ciento veinte | mi número está en torno a los ciento veinte mil |
| raise the bonus and I'm in | le entro si me suben el bono | si me mejorás el bono, yo te muevo la fecha |
| we've hit a deadlock | aquí nos atoramos | estamos trabados |
| it's a deal | trato hecho | quedamos en eso |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Negotiation Ninja pack, the final conversation is the last round of a senior compensation negotiation — and Isabella plays the Chief People Officer: cool, data-driven, friendly on the surface but ruthless on margin, and she pauses for several long seconds before responding to any number, as if doing mental math. There's a printed term sheet on the table in a glass-walled meeting room, both sides are expected to leave with a written agreement, and mid-meeting she reveals a hard ceiling on base salary. You have to repackage the ask — equity, bonus, vacation — without retreating. Out loud. And she punishes vagueness:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Negotiation Ninja is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Anchor with data, not apologies: Tomando en cuenta mi trayectoria y el valor de mercado, mi expectativa se sitúa en torno a los ciento veinte mil. If the figure raises eyebrows, hold your ground: entiendo que la cifra pueda sorprenderles, pero responde a datos salariales verificables del sector.
Quiero sounds like a demand; quisiera, me gustaría and desearía make the same firm request sound professional. Use the softened forms for asks — and save plain statements for your data.
Pair the past subjunctive with the conditional: si accedieran a mejorar el bono anual, estaría dispuesto a flexibilizar la fecha de incorporación. Other joints that carry the trade: siempre y cuando and con tal de — every concession comes with a condition attached.
Name it and reframe: parece que hemos llegado a un punto muerto; quizá convenga pausar y reenfocar. Then widen the frame — quizá estamos enfocándonos demasiado en la cifra y perdiendo de vista otras variables valiosas — and probe what limits the other side's margin.
Recap before you shake hands: recapitulemos los términos acordados para evitar malentendidos posteriores, then make the commitments verifiable — quedamos en que recibiré la oferta formal por escrito antes del viernes próximo. Informally, a deal is sealed with trato hecho.
