How to Say "mercenary" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “mercenary” is “interesada” — use 'interesada' when describing a person, typically female, who is primarily motivated by self-interest and money in their actions or decisions, often in social or personal contexts.
interesada
in-teh-reh-SAH-dahinteɾeˈsaða
Examples
No la invites, es demasiado interesada y solo piensa en el dinero.
Don't invite her, she is too self-interested and only thinks about money.
Mi exnovia resultó ser una interesada, solo quería mi coche.
My ex-girlfriend turned out to be a gold-digger/self-interested person; she only wanted my car.
The Negative Adjective
When 'interesada' describes someone's core personality trait (Meaning 2), you must use the verb 'ser' (Ella es interesada) to show it's a permanent characteristic.
Confusing Context
Mistake: “Using 'interesada' when you mean 'curiosa' (curious) but accidentally implying selfishness due to context.”
Correction: Make sure the context is clear. If you just mean 'she paid attention,' stick to 'atenta' or 'curiosa' if the negative meaning might be misunderstood.
mercenario
mer-seh-NAH-ryohmeɾseˈnaɾjo
Examples
El ejército contrató a un mercenario para la misión.
The army hired a mercenary for the mission.
Muchos mercenarios lucharon en guerras antiguas por dinero y no por ideales.
Many mercenaries fought in ancient wars for money and not for ideals.
En las noticias hablaron sobre la presencia de mercenarios extranjeros en la frontera.
The news talked about the presence of foreign mercenaries on the border.
No seas tan mercenario; a veces hay que ayudar gratis.
Don't be so mercenary; sometimes you have to help for free.
Person-specific forms
Even though we are looking at the word ending in -o, remember to change it to 'mercenaria' if you are talking about a female soldier hired for pay.
Noun usage
When used as a person, it always needs an article (like 'un' or 'el') before it, just like the word 'soldier' does in English.
Describing people
When using this as an adjective to describe a person's character, use the verb 'ser' (to be) because it refers to a personality trait.
Don't confuse with 'soldado'
Mistake: “Calling a regular army member a 'mercenario'.”
Correction: Use 'soldado' for someone serving their own country. 'Mercenario' implies they are only doing it for the paycheck and often for another country.
Agreement
Mistake: “La empresa es mercenario.”
Correction: Say 'La empresa es mercenaria.' Adjectives must match the gender of what they describe.
mercenario
mer-seh-NAH-ryohmeɾseˈnaɾjo
Examples
No seas tan mercenario; a veces hay que ayudar gratis.
Don't be so mercenary; sometimes you have to help for free.
El ejército contrató a un mercenario para la misión.
The army hired a mercenary for the mission.
Muchos mercenarios lucharon en guerras antiguas por dinero y no por ideales.
Many mercenaries fought in ancient wars for money and not for ideals.
En las noticias hablaron sobre la presencia de mercenarios extranjeros en la frontera.
The news talked about the presence of foreign mercenaries on the border.
Person-specific forms
Even though we are looking at the word ending in -o, remember to change it to 'mercenaria' if you are talking about a female soldier hired for pay.
Noun usage
When used as a person, it always needs an article (like 'un' or 'el') before it, just like the word 'soldier' does in English.
Describing people
When using this as an adjective to describe a person's character, use the verb 'ser' (to be) because it refers to a personality trait.
Don't confuse with 'soldado'
Mistake: “Calling a regular army member a 'mercenario'.”
Correction: Use 'soldado' for someone serving their own country. 'Mercenario' implies they are only doing it for the paycheck and often for another country.
Agreement
Mistake: “La empresa es mercenario.”
Correction: Say 'La empresa es mercenaria.' Adjectives must match the gender of what they describe.
Interesada vs. Mercenario
Related Translations
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