negocio flojo
/neɡoθjo floxo/from spelling rules
Slow business in Spanish is negocio flojo.
Negocio flojo refers to a period of time when a company has few customers or low sales. While negocio flojo refers to the business itself being slow, la temporada floja is the more common way to refer to the specific slow period or off-season.
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective flojo literally means 'loose', 'slack' or 'weak', which is why it is used to describe a business that is not performing strongly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the informal variant negocio flojo translates to 'slack business'.
Did you know?
- The word negocio comes from the Latin negōtium, which literally means 'not leisure'. It is formed from nec meaning 'not' and ōtium meaning 'leisure'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you describe a person as flojo, you are not saying they are slow, but rather that they are 'lazy'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the 'slow season' or temporada floja is often viewed as a necessary period for 'descanso' or restructuring, rather than just a financial failure.
Examples in context
- La baja actividad comercial está afectando nuestros ingresos.The low commercial activity is affecting our income.
- Últimamente, el negocio está en baja y los clientes están disminuyendo.Lately, the business is in decline, and the number of clients is decreasing.
- Durante esta temporada, hemos tenido pocas ventas, lo que ha afectado nuestros ingresos.During this season, we have had low sales, which has affected our income.
- Es normal tener un negocio flojo en enero.It is normal to have a slow business period in January.
Example conversation
Two store owners are talking about their monthly sales.
- MaríaDaniel, ¿cómo van las ventas en tu tienda?Daniel, how are the sales going in your store?
- DanielLa verdad es que tengo el negocio flojo.To be honest, I have slow business.
- MaríaYo también noto que hay pocos clientes.I also notice that there are few customers.
- DanielEspero que mejore la próxima semana.I hope it improves next week.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries flojo, negocio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
