Workplace Spanish for Supervisors, Foremen and Managers: 60+ Phrases (Free PDF)
By Kéllyta Quijada, Spanish tutorUpdated November 3, 2026
↑ SectionsQuick answer: The jobsite Spanish a supervisor uses most is short and polite: Por favor, ayúdeme con esto (Please help me with this), Hágalo así (Do it like this), Termine esto primero (Finish this first), ¿Cuánto tiempo necesita? (How much time do you need?) and Buen trabajo (Good job). This guide has 60+ instructions for daily assignments, tools, measurements, quality, schedules and feedback, with a simple pronunciation guide and a printable PDF.
Foremen and supervisors don’t need perfect grammar to run a bilingual crew. They need a few dozen clear instructions, the right tone, and the habit of checking understanding. All the phrases below use the polite usted form, which is respectful with any worker. Swap in your crew’s own words as you learn them.
Starting the day
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos días. ¿Cómo están? | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs. KOH-moh es-TAHN | Good morning. How is everyone? |
| Hoy vamos a trabajar en… | oy BAH-mohs ah trah-bah-HAR en | Today we’re going to work on… |
| Usted trabaja con él / con ella. | oos-TED trah-BAH-hah kohn el / kohn EH-yah | You work with him / with her. |
| Primero… después… | pree-MEH-roh… des-PWES | First… then… |
| ¿Quién falta? | kee-EN FAHL-tah | Who’s missing? |
| Marque su entrada. | MAR-keh soo en-TRAH-dah | Clock in. |
Giving instructions
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Hágalo así. | AH-gah-loh ah-SEE | Do it like this. |
| Míreme primero. | MEE-reh-meh pree-MEH-roh | Watch me first. |
| Ayúdeme con esto, por favor. | ah-YOO-deh-meh kohn ES-toh, por fah-BOR | Help me with this, please. |
| Termine esto primero. | ter-MEE-neh ES-toh pree-MEH-roh | Finish this first. |
| Traiga… / Lleve… | TRY-gah / YEH-beh | Bring… / Take… |
| Ponga esto allá. | POHN-gah ES-toh ah-YAH | Put this over there. |
| Limpie el área. | LEEM-pee-eh el AH-reh-ah | Clean the area. |
| Cargue / Descargue el camión. | KAR-geh / des-KAR-geh el kah-mee-OHN | Load / Unload the truck. |
| Corte aquí. | KOR-teh ah-KEE | Cut here. |
| Mida dos veces, corte una. | MEE-dah dohs BEH-ses, KOR-teh OO-nah | Measure twice, cut once. |
| Espere aquí. | es-PEH-reh ah-KEE | Wait here. |
| Venga conmigo. | BEN-gah kohn-MEE-goh | Come with me. |
| No lo haga así. | noh loh AH-gah ah-SEE | Don’t do it that way. |
Tools, materials and measurements
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| la herramienta | lah eh-rrah-mee-EN-tah | tool |
| la cinta métrica | lah SEEN-tah MEH-tree-kah | tape measure |
| el nivel | el nee-BEL | level |
| el taladro | el tah-LAH-droh | drill |
| la carretilla | lah kah-rreh-TEE-yah | wheelbarrow |
| ¿Cuánto mide? | KWAHN-toh MEE-deh | How long is it? |
| Mide diez pies y seis pulgadas. | MEE-deh dee-ES pee-ES ee says pool-GAH-dahs | It’s 10 feet 6 inches. |
| Necesitamos más… | neh-seh-see-TAH-mohs mahs | We need more… |
| Se acabó el material. | seh ah-kah-BOH el mah-teh-ree-AHL | We ran out of material. |
| Guarde las herramientas al final del día. | GWAR-deh lahs eh-rrah-mee-EN-tahs ahl fee-NAHL del DEE-ah | Put the tools away at the end of the day. |
Time, schedules and breaks
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto tiempo necesita? | KWAHN-toh tee-EM-poh neh-seh-SEE-tah | How much time do you need? |
| Tiene que estar listo para las tres. | tee-EH-neh keh es-TAR LEES-toh PAH-rah lahs tres | It has to be ready by three. |
| Mañana empezamos a las siete. | mah-NYAH-nah em-peh-SAH-mohs ah lahs see-EH-teh | Tomorrow we start at seven. |
| Es hora del descanso / del almuerzo. | es OH-rah del des-KAHN-soh / del ahl-MWER-soh | It’s break time / lunch time. |
| ¿Puede trabajar horas extra el sábado? | PWEH-deh trah-bah-HAR OH-rahs EKS-trah el SAH-bah-doh | Can you work overtime on Saturday? |
| Llegue a tiempo, por favor. | YEH-geh ah tee-EM-poh, por fah-BOR | Please arrive on time. |
Checking quality and understanding
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Me entiende? | meh en-tee-EN-deh | Do you understand me? |
| Muéstreme cómo lo va a hacer. | MWES-treh-meh KOH-moh loh bah ah ah-SER | Show me how you’re going to do it. |
| ¿Tiene alguna pregunta? | tee-EH-neh ahl-GOO-nah preh-GOON-tah | Do you have any questions? |
| Está bien así. | es-TAH bee-EN ah-SEE | That’s good like that. |
| Hay que arreglarlo. | eye keh ah-rreh-GLAR-loh | It needs to be fixed. |
| Está torcido / desnivelado. | es-TAH tor-SEE-doh / des-nee-beh-LAH-doh | It’s crooked / not level. |
| Hágalo otra vez, por favor. | AH-gah-loh OH-trah bes, por fah-BOR | Do it again, please. |
Feedback, respect and teamwork
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Buen trabajo. | bwen trah-BAH-hoh | Good job. |
| Gracias por su ayuda. | GRAH-see-ahs por soo ah-YOO-dah | Thanks for your help. |
| Lo hizo muy bien. | loh EE-soh mwee bee-EN | You did it very well. |
| ¿Necesita algo? | neh-seh-SEE-tah AHL-goh | Do you need anything? |
| Si tiene un problema, hable conmigo. | see tee-EH-neh oon proh-BLEH-mah, AH-bleh kohn-MEE-goh | If you have a problem, talk to me. |
| Necesito hablar con usted un momento. | neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-BLAR kohn oos-TED oon moh-MEN-toh | I need to talk with you for a moment. |
Extra phrases for manufacturing, warehouse and farm supervisors
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la línea de producción | production line |
| Pare la máquina antes de limpiarla. | Stop the machine before you clean it. |
| Revise la calidad de cada pieza. | Check the quality of each part. |
| el montacargas | forklift |
| Ponga las cajas en la tarima. | Put the boxes on the pallet. |
| ¿Cuántas cajas faltan? | How many boxes are left? |
| la cosecha / el campo | harvest / field |
| Hoy vamos a cosechar la fila tres. | Today we’re harvesting row three. |
| Lávese las manos antes de volver al trabajo. | Wash your hands before going back to work. |
Safety reminders every supervisor should know
- ¡Cuidado! – Careful!
- Póngase el casco y los lentes. – Put on your hard hat and glasses.
- Amárrese. – Tie off.
- Tome agua. – Drink water.
- Reporte cualquier accidente. – Report any accident.
For 80+ more, see our construction safety Spanish and toolbox talk phrases.
5 tips for supervising in Spanish
- Use usted. It shows respect, especially with older workers. Your crew will tell you if they prefer tú.
- Say por favor and gracias. Short commands can sound harsh without them.
- Show, then tell. “Míreme primero” plus a demonstration beats a long explanation.
- Check understanding by asking them to show you, not by asking “¿entiende?”
- Learn names and a few personal phrases. ¿Cómo está su familia? goes a long way.
Spanish training for supervisors
A phrase list gets you through the first week. To lead a bilingual crew with confidence, our Spanish training for supervisors pairs live group lessons by role with a self-study course on the phone, built around the instructions your crew hears every day. We can add custom lessons from your own safety manual and procedures.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “supervisor” in Spanish?
El supervisor / la supervisora. A foreman is el capataz or el mayordomo (common in construction and farming), and a manager is el gerente.
Should I use tú or usted with my crew?
Start with usted. It sounds respectful with any worker, especially older ones. If your crew prefers tú, they will tell you.
How can a supervisor learn Spanish fast?
Learn 50 to 60 instructions you use every day first, practice them out loud with your crew, and add a weekly group lesson focused on your job. Short daily practice on your phone helps the phrases stick.
How do you say “good job” in Spanish?
Buen trabajo. You can also say Lo hizo muy bien (You did it very well) or Gracias por su ayuda (Thanks for your help).