¿Están contratando?
In Spanish, "are you hiring?" is expressed as ¿Están contratando?
This phrase is used to inquire whether a business has any job openings. A very common and natural alternative, especially in retail or hospitality settings, is ¿Buscan personal?, which translates to "Are you looking for staff?"
What does it mean word for word?
The word contratando is the gerund form of the verb contratar, which means "to hire" or "to contract".
Which one should you use?
While ¿Están contratando? is a general way to ask the question, you can also use ¿Hay vacantes?, which is a more formal way to ask "Are there vacancies?"
How does it change in a sentence?
Depending on who you are addressing, the verb changes: use the singular formal form ¿Está contratando? when speaking to one person formally or the singular informal form ¿Estás contratando? if you are speaking to someone your own age or in a very casual setting.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the practice of walking into a business and asking ¿Están contratando? is still a primary way to find work, especially in small towns and family-run shops.
- In many Latin American countries, instead of asking if they are hiring, people ask ¿Hay trabajo?, which literally means 'Is there work?' This shifts the focus from the employer's action to the existence of the job itself.
- The word personal in the phrase ¿Buscan personal? does not refer to one person, but to the collective group of employees. It is a singular collective noun, much like how 'staff' is used in English.
Examples in context
- Hola, estoy interesado/a en trabajar en su empresa. ¿Está contratando personal?Hi, I am interested in working at your company. Are you hiring?
- ¿Sabes si están contratando en ese restaurante? Me gustaría trabajar allí.Do you know if they are hiring at that restaurant? I would like to work there.
- Mis amigos me dijeron que están contratando en esa empresa. ¿Contratan gente?My friends told me they are hiring at that company. Do they hire people?
- Vi el anuncio, ¿están contratando?I saw the ad, are you hiring?
Example conversation
Sofía enters a local coffee shop to ask Daniel about jobs.
- SofíaHola, ¿están contratando?Hello, are you hiring?
- DanielSí, estamos buscando un barista.Yes, we are looking for a barista.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! ¿Puedo dejar mi currículum?Great! Can I leave my resume?
- DanielClaro, dáselo al gerente.Sure, give it to the manager.
