contratar Present Conjugation
contratar — to hire
The present tense of contratar is regular: contrato, contratas, contrata, contratamos, contratáis, contratan.
contratar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about current hiring processes, company policies, or habitual actions like 'we hire seasonal staff every summer'.
Notes on contratar in the Present
Contratar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense.
Example Sentences
Contratamos a gente nueva cada mes.
We hire new people every month.
nosotros
Mi empresa contrata solo a expertos.
My company hires only experts.
él/ella/usted
¿Contratas a un guía para el viaje?
Are you hiring a guide for the trip?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'contrato' as a verb when you mean the noun.
Correct: Check the context; 'el contrato' is the contract, while 'yo contrato' is I hire.
Why: The first-person singular form is identical to the noun for 'contract'.
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Related Tenses
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.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contratara
The imperfect subjunctive of contratar uses the -ra endings: contratara, contrataras, contratara, contratáramos, contratarais, contrataran.
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.