¿están contratando?
The English phrase "are you guys hiring?" is translated into Spanish as ¿están contratando?
This phrase is a question used to ask a business or a group of people if they have any job openings. You can also use the alternative ¿hay vacantes? to ask if there are vacancies.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase están contratando literally translates to "they are hiring" because the third-person plural form is used for both "they" and the plural "you guys".
Which one should you use?
Use ¿están contratando? (plural) when addressing a business or a group of people. If you are addressing a single owner or manager directly, use ¿está contratando? (singular) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb contratando is the present participle of contratar, used here in the progressive aspect to indicate an ongoing process of recruitment.
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, the word contratar can also mean 'to charter' a boat or a bus, meaning you might accidentally ask if a driver is hiring instead of asking to rent their vehicle.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿están contratando? might lead to a conversation about who you know, as personal recommendations often carry more weight than a formal resume.
- In Spain, you might hear ¿buscáis gente?, which uses the vosotros form of 'you guys' instead of the están form common in Latin America.
Examples in context
- Si me permite preguntar, ¿están contratando actualmente en su empresa?If you allow me to ask, are you currently hiring in your company?
- Hola, solo quería saber si están buscando gente para trabajar aquí.Hello, I just wanted to know if you are looking for people to work here.
- Hola, buenas tardes, ¿están contratando?Hello, good afternoon, are you guys hiring?
Example conversation
Javier walks into a local cafe to ask about work.
- JavierHola, ¿están contratando?Hello, are you guys hiring?
- ElenaHola Javier, no estamos contratando ahora.Hello Javier, we are not hiring right now.
- Javier¿Seguro que no hay puestos libres?Are you sure there are no open positions?
- ElenaLo siento, pero de momento no.I am sorry, but not for the moment.
