pauta

Pauta is a noun used in Portuguese and Spanish with several related meanings. In everyday language, it most often refers to a plan of topics to be addressed. When someone speaks of “a pauta da reunião,” they mean the agenda or programme of the meeting and the order in which items will be discussed. In journalism and media, a newsroom or program’s pauta denotes the set of issues or stories prepared for coverage. In organizational or governmental contexts, pautas can also indicate guidelines, policies, or standards that prescribe actions or conduct, as in “pautas de conduta” or “pautas técnicas.”

In music, pauta has a distinct sense in both languages. It can refer to the musical staff—the set of lines on which notes are written—though many speakers also use “partitura” for the full musical score. In practice, regional variation exists, and “pauta” may be used to denote the staff, the score, or, more generally, the framework for written music.

Usage notes: pauta appears in singular and plural forms (pauta, pautas) and is commonly paired with modifiers that clarify its meaning, such as pauta da reunião, pauta de cobertura, pautas de conduta, or pauta de preços. The exact sense depends on context, but the core idea is a predefined plan, guide, or framework used to organize discussion, action, or notation.