Negotiating salary: Asking for a higher salary politely

💬 Llevar plus a length of time is how Spaniards say how long they've been doing something: llevo tres meses aquí "I've been here three months". It's simpler than the English "I have been".

💬 Estar plus a verb ending in -ando or -iendo works like English "-ing": estás trabajando "you're working". Spanish uses it less than English, mainly for things happening right now.

💬 Bueno shortens to buen when it comes right before a masculine word: un buen trabajo, but un trabajo bueno. Malo "bad" does the same: un mal día "a bad day".

💬 Pedir means "to ask for" something, so no extra word for "for" is needed. To ask a question you'd use preguntar instead.

💬 Subida literally means "a rise", from subir "to go up". Spain uses this phrase; in Latin America you'd more often hear aumento de sueldo.

🇪🇸 Using me gustaría after listing your reasons is the polite, expected way to make the ask. Saying quiero "I want" here would sound demanding.

💬 Spanish puts un or el before percentages: un diez por ciento, el veinte por ciento. Ciento has a c before i, said like a th in Spain: (THYEN-to).

🇪🇸 Adding si es posible keeps a firm number sounding cooperative rather than like an ultimatum, which goes down well in Spanish workplaces.

💬 Small words like lo "it" can be stuck onto the end of a verb in its basic form: hablarlo, verlo "to see it". Tengo que plus any verb means "I have to".

💬 Dirección usually means "address" or "direction", but at work it means "management". It is often used without la, as here.

🇪🇸 This is a standard, neutral reply in Spain, not a brush-off. Managers rarely approve raises on the spot, so expect to follow up after a week or two.

💬 Spanish often uses the present tense for promises about the near future: te digo algo literally means "I tell you something". Likewise, te llamo mañana means "I'll call you tomorrow".

💬 After gracias por, use the basic verb form, where English uses "-ing": gracias por venir "thanks for coming".

🇪🇸 Spaniards say hasta luego even when they won't see you again that day. It's the default casual goodbye at work.