contrató
/kon-trah-TOH/
hired
When someone is contrató (hired), they often finalize the agreement with a handshake.
contrató(Verb)
hired
?to employ a person
,employed
?to take someone onto staff
took on
?informal way to say hired
📝 In Action
Mi jefe contrató a tres personas nuevas el mes pasado.
A2My boss hired three new people last month.
Ella contrató un tutor privado para su hijo.
B1She employed a private tutor for her son.
💡 Grammar Points
Past Action Completed
"Contrató" is the simple past (preterite) form. It tells you that the action of hiring started and finished entirely at a specific time in the past.
The Personal 'a'
When you hire a person, Spanish uses the word 'a' right before the person's name or title: 'Contrató a un electricista'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Using 'contrataba' (imperfect) instead of 'contrató' (preterite)."
Correction: 'Contrataba' means 'was hiring' or 'used to hire.' Use 'contrató' when you mean the hiring was a single, finished event: 'Ayer contrató al chef.'
⭐ Usage Tips
Who is 'Contrató'?
This form can mean 'he hired,' 'she hired,' or 'you (formal) hired.' The context usually tells you who did the action.
Contrató can mean arranging specific services, like hiring a construction crew for repairs.
contrató(Verb)
contracted
?to arrange services or work
,took out
?insurance or a loan
commissioned
?to pay for specific work to be done
📝 In Action
El gobierno contrató la construcción del nuevo puente.
B2The government contracted the construction of the new bridge.
Usted contrató un seguro de viaje antes de ir a Europa, ¿verdad?
B1You (formal) took out travel insurance before going to Europe, right?
💡 Grammar Points
Contracting vs. Hiring
When 'contrató' refers to a service or policy (like insurance or construction), it usually means reaching a formal agreement or taking out a policy, rather than employing a person directly.
⭐ Usage Tips
Formal Agreements
Think of 'contrató' in this sense as signing a formal agreement or document for a large service or financial product.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: contrató
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'contrató' to mean 'took out' a policy?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if 'contrató' means 'he,' 'she,' or 'you (formal)'?
You need context! Since Spanish often skips the subject pronoun, you must look at the rest of the sentence or the previous sentences to see who is performing the action. For example, if the previous sentence mentioned 'María,' then 'contrató' refers to 'she' (María).
Is 'contrató' pronounced with a rolling 'R'?
Yes, the 'r' in 'contrató' is a strong, rolled 'r' (trilled R) because it is preceded by the consonant 't' and is part of the 'tr' blend.