Companies
Business etiquette in Spain: a guide for Gulf executives
Tú or usted, lunchtime, the sobremesa and ‘ya te llamo’: what you should know before negotiating in Madrid.
You arrive from Riyadh, Doha or Abu Dhabi for your first meeting with a Spanish company. You know the sector, the figures and the product. What you may not know are the rules nobody writes down. How to greet people. When the contract is discussed. What ya te llamo (‘I’ll call you’) means.
What follows are common customs, not laws. They vary by sector, company and person.
Tú, usted and two surnames
In Spain, tú (the informal ‘you’) comes early. In many companies people use it from the very first email, even between strangers. Usted (the formal ‘you’) is kept in banking, law firms and public administration, and with people who are older or more senior.
The practical rule is simple. If in doubt, start with usted. When someone says Puedes tutearme (‘You can call me tú’) or ¿Nos tuteamos? (‘Shall we use tú?’), accept without ceremony. Sticking to usted after that invitation sounds distant.
Every Spaniard has two surnames: usually the first comes from the father and the second from the mother. Women do not change their surname when they marry. In formal dealings the first surname is used: señor García, señora Martín. Don and doña go with the first name: don Javier, never don García.
To greet someone, a handshake is enough. If you prefer not to shake hands, place your hand on your chest and smile.
When to arrive and when to finish
You arrive at a business meeting on time. A few minutes’ leeway is understood. If you are going to be later than that, send a message: Llego diez minutos tarde, disculpa (‘I’m running ten minutes late, sorry’).
What is usually flexible is the end. A meeting may run over if the conversation is moving forward. Do not schedule back-to-back appointments with no margin.
Check the calendar too. The Spanish working week runs from Monday to Friday. If your office works Sunday to Thursday, you only share four days. August and the weeks between Christmas and 6 January are not a good time to close deals.
The business lunch and the sobremesa
In Madrid, a business lunch usually starts between 14:00 and 14:30. Dinner rarely before 21:00.
Order matters. Over the first course, people talk about Madrid, the sector, and family if the subject comes up. Business appears with the main course or over coffee. Do not take out documents as soon as you sit down.
Then comes the sobremesa: the conversation that carries on once the plates have been cleared. It can last an hour or more. Nothing is signed during it. But ideas are tested, timelines are sounded out and objections surface that were not voiced in the meeting. Do not book another appointment at 16:00.
If you do not drink alcohol or do not eat pork, say so naturally: Para mí, agua, gracias (‘Water for me, thank you’) or ¿Este plato lleva cerdo? (‘Does this dish contain pork?’). Nobody expects an explanation.
Whoever invites pays. If you have been invited, return the gesture later: La próxima vez invito yo (‘Next time it’s on me’). The scene may feel familiar: in Spain, too, people argue good-naturedly over paying the bill.
The email that pins down what was said
In a Spanish meeting, many things are agreed verbally. Quedamos en eso (‘So that’s agreed’) closes a point, but does not put it in writing. The follow-up email, the same day or the next, turns the conversation into commitments. A short template, using tú:
Hola, Javier:
Gracias por la reunión de ayer. Te resumo lo que acordamos: nosotros enviamos la propuesta el viernes y vosotros revisáis el calendario técnico. ¿Te viene bien que hablemos el martes a las diez? (Thank you for yesterday’s meeting. Here is a summary of what we agreed: we will send the proposal on Friday and you will review the technical schedule. Would Tuesday at 10:00 suit you for a call?)
Un saludo, (Best regards)
In Spanish, the greeting in an email takes a colon, not a comma. And the register changes with the relationship:
- With usted: Estimado señor García: (‘Dear Mr García’) and, to sign off, Reciba un cordial saludo (‘Yours sincerely’).
- Muy señor mío: (‘Dear Sir’) is for very formal letters. In a work email it sounds old-fashioned.
- With tú: Hola, Javier: and Un saludo.
Why the answer takes time
In a medium-sized or large Spanish company, a decision usually passes through several hands: the business unit, the legal department, procurement and, sometimes, a management committee. The person who receives you may not decide alone.
If in your organisation a conversation with the right person is enough, this process will seem slow to you. It is not a lack of interest. Expect weeks, not days. And learn to read a few phrases:
| What you hear | What it usually means | How to respond |
|---|---|---|
| Ya te llamo (‘I’ll call you’) | Interest, but no date | ¿Te viene bien que hablemos el jueves? (‘Does Thursday suit you for a call?’) |
| Lo vemos (‘We’ll look into it’) | No decision yet | ¿Qué necesitáis de nosotros para verlo? (‘What do you need from us to look into it?’) |
| Tengo que consultarlo (‘I need to check’) | Someone else or a committee decides | ¿Te preparo un resumen para esa reunión? (‘Shall I prepare a summary for that meeting?’) |
The Institute’s tip. Do not end a meeting with ¿Qué le ha parecido? (‘What did you think?’). Propose a step with a date: Si te parece, te mando el resumen mañana y hablamos el jueves (‘If you agree, I’ll send you the summary tomorrow and we’ll talk on Thursday’). And if they tell you ya te llamo, do not leave it hanging: Perfecto. Si el jueves no he sabido nada, te llamo yo (‘Perfect. If I haven’t heard anything by Thursday, I’ll call you’). It is direct, but it is usually read as seriousness, not pressure.
Preparing your team
All of this can be rehearsed in advance. The Institute’s Spanish for companies programme works on meetings, meals and emails with native Spanish teachers who are bilingual in Arabic. Sessions are in-company, at Gran Vía 40 or online. They can be one-to-one or in closed groups of up to 12 people from the same organisation. Human Resources receives attendance and progress reports. You start with a free 30-minute level test, with no enrolment fee.
