se busca personal
/se buska peɾsonal/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'now hiring' can be translated into Spanish as se busca personal.
This phrase is used by an employer to announce that there are job vacancies available.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally 'staff is being sought', where se busca is a passive construction meaning 'is being searched for/sought' and personal means 'staff' or 'personnel'.
Which one should you use?
You may also see se solicita personal, which means 'Personnel Wanted'. Another option is Estamos contratando, which translates to 'We are hiring'. You might also encounter buscamos personal, which means 'we are looking for staff' and uses the first-person plural 'we are looking for' instead of the impersonal 'se' construction.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, it is common to use the phrase Se solicita personal to indicate job openings.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because personal is a collective noun in this context, the verb busca remains in the singular form.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, a sign saying se busca without the word personal is more likely to be a missing person or reward poster than a job advertisement.
- The word personal shares its roots with the Latin persōna, which originally referred to a mask worn by actors to project a character's voice.
- While 'now hiring' sounds like an active process, the common Spanish version se busca personal uses an impersonal 'se' to make the searching process sound like a general, objective state rather than a specific person doing the looking.
Examples in context
- Se busca personal para la tienda.Staff is being sought for the store.
- Vimos un cartel que decía: se busca personal.We saw a sign that said: now hiring.
- ¿Sabes si en el restaurante se busca personal?Do you know if the restaurant is hiring staff?
Example conversation
Daniel and María are walking past a new café.
- DanielMira, María, aquí se busca personal.Look, María, they are now hiring here.
- MaríaQué bueno, yo necesito un trabajo.That's great, I need a job.
- Daniel¿Quieres entrar a preguntar ahora?Do you want to go in and ask now?
- MaríaSí, vamos a entrar juntos.Yes, let's go in together.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries busca, personal, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
