el día que empieza un negocio
the day a business starts
Champagne comes out at the office while the narrator lists life's big days, and the day someone starts a business is one of them.
From The Office · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "business" in Spanish
el negocio
nounmasculineplural: los negocios
"Business" in Spanish is el negocio: the shop or company someone runs, or a deal. Business as an activity is plural, as in hablar de negocios, to talk business. A larger company with staff is usually la empresa.
Hear "negocio" in a real scene
A scene about life's big days. The video starts and stops on that line.
Negocio, empresa and other business words
Six words and phrases for the working world.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el negocio | a business, a deal | Anything from a corner shop to a single deal. |
| los negocios | business in general | el mundo de los negocios, the business world. |
| la empresa | company, firm | The standard word for a company with employees. |
| el viaje de negocios | business trip | Negocios stays plural here. |
| el hombre de negocios, la mujer de negocios | businessman, businesswoman | Someone who works in business. |
| el empresario, la empresaria | business owner, entrepreneur | Built from empresa. |
Tip: No es asunto tuyo means "It's none of your business". Negocio doesn't work in that phrase.
Grammar: el negocio, los negocios
Four points for talking about business.
Masculine -o noun
el negocio, un negocio, los negocios. A regular -o noun with a regular plural.Plural for the activity
Business in general takes the plural: hablar de negocios, un viaje de negocios, una reunión de negocios.Starting one
empezar un negocio or abrir un negocio, to start a business. In Spain you'll also hear montar un negocio.Negocio or empresa
negocio is the activity or a smaller business. empresa is the company as an organization: Trabajo en una empresa grande.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Este es mi negocio.
This is my business.
Ahora, ¿hablamos de negocios?
Now, shall we talk business?
El negocio es bueno.
Business is good.
Mi negocio es la moda.
My business is fashion.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Hablamos de negocio (talking business)
✓Hablamos de negocios
This set phrase always uses the plural, negocios.
✗No es tu negocio (it's none of your business)
✓No es asunto tuyo
The English idiom doesn't carry over. Spanish uses asunto, matter.
✗Trabajo en un negocio grande (at a big corporation)
✓Trabajo en una empresa grande
For a large company with staff, empresa sounds natural.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 21 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Negocio contains ocio, the Spanish word for leisure. Business is the negation of ocio: no time off.
Questions about "business" in Spanish
How do you say business in Spanish?
El negocio for a business someone runs. A company is usually la empresa, and business in general is los negocios.
How do you say "business trip" in Spanish?
Un viaje de negocios: Mañana tengo un viaje de negocios.
How do you say "It's none of your business" in Spanish?
No es asunto tuyo, or No es asunto suyo when you speak to someone as usted.
How do you say businessman in Spanish?
El hombre de negocios, or la mujer de negocios for a woman. A business owner is el empresario or la empresaria.
