A colorful storybook illustration showing three distinct, stylized corporate office buildings standing close together, representing different companies.

empresas

ehm-PREH-sas

nounfA1

companies?corporate entities,businesses?commercial operations

Also:firms?legal/consulting context,enterprises?large-scale projects or organizations

📝 In Action

Las grandes empresas generan muchos empleos.

Large companies generate many jobs.

Mi hermana trabaja para tres empresas diferentes.

My sister works for three different businesses.

Necesitamos más empresas que inviertan en tecnología.

We need more firms that invest in technology.

Word Connections

Synonyms

compañías (companies)
negocios (businesses (also refers to deals/transactions))

Common Collocations

empresas multinacionales – multinational companies
empresas familiares – family businesses
crear empresas – to create companies/startups

💡 Grammar Points

Feminine Plural

Since the singular word 'empresa' is feminine, the plural 'empresas' must be used with feminine plural articles and adjectives (e.g., 'las empresas buenas').

Singular vs. Plural

Remember that 'empresa' means one company, and 'empresas' means two or more companies. It follows the standard rule of adding an 's' to form the plural.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Gender Confusion

Mistake: "Los empresas"

Correction: Las empresas. Even though it ends in 's', the word is feminine, so use 'las'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Formal vs. Informal

While 'negocios' can refer to both the company and the deals they make, 'empresas' almost always refers specifically to the organization or corporate structure.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: empresas

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'empresas'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

empresa(company (singular)) - noun

empresario(businessman/entrepreneur) - noun

empresarial(business-related) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'empresas' the same as 'compañías'?

Yes, for almost all practical purposes, they are synonyms and can be used interchangeably to mean 'companies' or 'firms.' 'Empresa' is sometimes slightly preferred in financial or governmental contexts.

How do I know if a word ending in -a, like 'empresa,' is feminine?

Words that end in -a in Spanish are overwhelmingly feminine. A good rule of thumb is to assume they are feminine and use 'la' or 'las' unless you learn a specific exception (like 'el problema').