How to Say ‘It's going well, but we're a bit behind.’ in Spain Spanish
Va bien, pero vamos un poco tarde.
vah byehn PEH-roh BAH-mohs oon POH-koh TAR-deh
[vah byehn PEH-roh BAH-mohs oon POH-koh TAR-deh]
🇪🇸 In Spain: Softening bad news with good news first is the normal way to report in a Spanish meeting. A flat vamos tarde alone can sound alarming.
Phrase Breakdown
Va bien,
vah byehn
It's going well,
A short positive answer. Pause slightly after the comma.
El trabajo va bien.
The work is going well.
Words in this phrase
Va
[vah]
go
To move or travel to a place.
Él se va ahora.
He is leaving now.
bien
[byehn]
well, good
With 'venir', 'venir bien' means to suit or be convenient.
El viernes me viene bien.
Friday suits me well.
pero vamos
PEH-roh BAH-mohs
but we are going
'Pero' means 'but' and has a single tapped 'r'.
Pero vamos juntos.
But we're going together.
Words in this phrase
pero
[PEH-roh]
But
Used to introduce a contrast.
Quería ir, pero no podía.
I wanted to go, but I couldn't.
vamos
[BAH-mohs]
we are going (progressing)
Form of 'ir' for 'we'; here it describes how we are progressing.
Vamos bien con el informe.
We're doing well with the report.
un poco tarde.
oon POH-koh TAR-deh
a bit late.
'Un poco' means 'a little'. Stress 'po' and 'tar'.
Es un poco tarde.
It's a bit late.
Words in this phrase
un
[oon]
a / an
Masculine singular indefinite article used before a noun.
Busco un entorno donde pueda crecer profesionalmente.
I am looking for an environment where I can grow professionally.
poco
[POH-koh]
little, bit
With 'un', means 'a little' or 'a bit'.
Llegamos un poco tarde.
We arrived a bit late.
tarde
[TAR-deh]
late
Adverb meaning after the expected or usual time.
Es tarde para cenar.
It's late to have dinner.
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