contratar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
contratar — to hire
The imperfect subjunctive of contratar uses the -ra endings: contratara, contrataras, contratara, contratáramos, contratarais, contrataran.
contratar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for past-tense triggers or hypothetical 'if' situations (e.g., 'If I were to hire you...').
Notes on contratar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It follows the regular pattern derived from the third-person plural preterite (contrataron).
Example Sentences
Si yo contratara a Juan, el trabajo terminaría pronto.
If I hired Juan, the work would finish soon.
yo
Me pidió que contratara un seguro.
He asked me to hire (take out) insurance.
yo
Ojalá contrataran a más mujeres.
I wish they would hire more women.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: contrataramos
Correct: contratáramos
Why: The 'nosotros' form of the imperfect subjunctive always needs an accent on the vowel before the 'r'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contrato
The present tense of contratar is regular: contrato, contratas, contrata, contratamos, contratáis, contratan.
Preterite
yo: contraté
The preterite of contratar is regular: contraté, contrataste, contrató, contratamos, contratasteis, contrataron.
Imperfect
yo: contrataba
The imperfect of contratar is regular: contrataba, contratabas, contrataba, contratábamos, contratabais, contrataban.
Future
yo: contrataré
The future of contratar is regular: contrataré, contratarás, contratará, contrataremos, contrataréis, contratarán.
Conditional
yo: contrataría
The conditional of contratar is regular: contrataría, contratarías, contrataría, contrataríamos, contrataríais, contratarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: contrate
The present subjunctive of contratar is regular: contrate, contrates, contrate, contratemos, contratéis, contraten.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contrata
The affirmative imperative commands are: contrata (tú), contrate (usted), contratad (vosotros), contraten (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no contrates
The negative imperative uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no contrates, no contrate, no contratemos, no contratéis, no contraten.