Inklingo

How to Say "staff" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “staff” is “empleados” — use 'empleados' when referring to the general collective body of workers in any company or organization.

empleados🔊A1

Use 'empleados' when referring to the general collective body of workers in any company or organization.

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personal🔊B1

Use 'personal' to refer to all the employees of a particular establishment, like a shop or an office, often emphasizing their collective function.

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plantilla🔊B1

Use 'plantilla' to refer to the specific list or group of employees that make up a company's workforce.

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miembros🔊A1

Use 'miembros' when referring to individual people who belong to a specific team, group, or organization, including a business team.

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cuadro🔊B1

Use 'cuadro' when referring to the administrative or management personnel, particularly those in leadership or decision-making roles.

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plantel🔊B1

Use 'plantel' to refer to a group of employees, especially in contexts like sports teams or educational institutions.

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agentes🔊A2

Use 'agentes' for employees who act as representatives or intermediaries, such as travel agents or secret agents.

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plana🔊B2

Use 'plana' to refer to the leadership or administrative personnel of an organization, similar to 'cuadro' but often with a slightly more general connotation.

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pauta🔊C1

Use 'pauta' specifically when referring to the set of horizontal lines on which musical notes are written, known as a musical staff.

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English → Spanish

empleados

em-ple-AH-dosem.pleˈa.ðos

nounA1general
Use 'empleados' when referring to the general collective body of workers in any company or organization.
Three diverse people dressed professionally, sitting at a desk and happily looking at a shared document, symbolizing employees working together.

Examples

La empresa tiene cien empleados nuevos este año.

The company has one hundred new employees this year.

Los empleados de esta tienda son muy amables.

The staff (employees) at this store are very kind.

Necesitamos capacitar a todos los empleados antes de la apertura.

We need to train all the personnel before the opening.

Gender and Number

Since this word ends in '-os', it is plural (more than one) and masculine. If you are referring only to female staff, you must use 'empleadas'.

Confusing 'empleados' and 'empleo'

Mistake: “Mi jefe tiene muchos empleos. (My boss has many jobs.)”

Correction: Mi jefe tiene muchos empleados. ('Empleo' means 'job' or 'employment'; 'empleado' is the person who holds the job.)

personal

per-so-NALpeɾso'nal

nounB1general
Use 'personal' to refer to all the employees of a particular establishment, like a shop or an office, often emphasizing their collective function.
A diverse group of four smiling people wearing matching blue shirts and lanyards, standing together, representing a unified staff or personnel.

Examples

Todo el personal de la tienda es muy amable.

All the store's staff is very friendly.

El departamento de recursos humanos se encarga del personal.

The human resources department is in charge of the personnel.

Se necesita contratar más personal para el proyecto.

We need to hire more staff for the project.

A Group is One Thing

Even though 'el personal' refers to a group of people, Spanish treats it as a single unit. So, you use singular verbs with it: 'El personal es...' (The staff is...), not 'El personal son...'

Using a Plural Verb

Mistake: “El personal están en la reunión.”

Correction: El personal está en la reunión. Think of 'the staff' as one group or 'it'. You would say 'it is', not 'it are'.

plantilla

plan-TEE-yahplanˈtiʝa

nounB1general
Use 'plantilla' to refer to the specific list or group of employees that make up a company's workforce.
A diverse group of professional people standing together in a friendly line, wearing work clothes.

Examples

La empresa tiene una plantilla de cincuenta empleados.

The company has a staff of fifty employees.

El Real Madrid anunció su plantilla para la Champions.

Real Madrid announced its roster for the Champions League.

Es difícil mantener una plantilla motivada.

It is difficult to keep a workforce motivated.

Group Noun

Like the word 'family,' 'plantilla' is a single group. Even though it means many people, the verb stays singular: 'La plantilla es...' (The staff is...).

Confusing with Personal

Mistake: “Saying 'mi personal' when you mean your specific group of coworkers.”

Correction: Use 'mi plantilla' or 'mis compañeros' for a specific work group.

miembros

mee-EHM-brosˈmjem.bɾos

nounA1general
Use 'miembros' when referring to individual people who belong to a specific team, group, or organization, including a business team.
A colorful illustration showing three diverse people standing together happily and smiling, symbolizing group members.

Examples

Todos los miembros de la familia asistieron a la reunión.

All the family members attended the meeting.

Los nuevos miembros del club pagaron su cuota anual.

The new members of the club paid their annual fee.

Ella es uno de los miembros más activos del comité.

She is one of the most active members of the committee.

Plural Noun Rule

Remember that 'miembros' is the plural form of 'miembro' (member). Since it ends in a vowel, you just add '-s'.

Gender Confusion

Mistake: “La miembro (when referring to a female member)”

Correction: Miembro is always masculine, even if referring to a woman: 'La mujer es un miembro del equipo' (The woman is a member of the team). Use 'la' for the woman, but 'miembro' stays the same.

cuadro

KWAA-drohˈkwaðɾo

nounB1formal
Use 'cuadro' when referring to the administrative or management personnel, particularly those in leadership or decision-making roles.
A diverse group of four smiling professionals standing together in a formal setting, representing a team.

Examples

Necesitamos reforzar el cuadro directivo de la empresa.

We need to reinforce the company's management staff.

El entrenador cambió el cuadro titular antes del partido.

The coach changed the starting squad before the match.

Collective Noun

In this context, 'cuadro' refers to a group of people, acting as a collective noun, similar to 'team' or 'staff' in English.

plantel

plan-TELplanˈtel

nounB1general
Use 'plantel' to refer to a group of employees, especially in contexts like sports teams or educational institutions.
A group of soccer players in matching blue uniforms standing together in a line on a green field.

Examples

El equipo renovó a todo su plantel para la nueva temporada.

The team renewed its entire squad for the new season.

El plantel docente se reunirá mañana para discutir los cambios.

The teaching staff will meet tomorrow to discuss the changes.

Contamos con un plantel de expertos en tecnología.

We have a staff of technology experts.

A group word

Even though 'plantel' refers to many people, the word itself is singular. Use singular verbs, like 'El plantel está listo' (The squad is ready).

Professional touch

While 'equipo' means team, 'plantel' sounds more official or professional, often used in news reports or formal business contexts.

Referring to one person

Mistake: “Él es un buen plantel.”

Correction: Él es parte del plantel.

agentes

ah-HEN-tehsaˈxentes

nounA2general
Use 'agentes' for employees who act as representatives or intermediaries, such as travel agents or secret agents.
A smiling person in a simple business suit stands holding a clipboard, representing a professional agent or representative.

Examples

Los agentes de viajes nos ayudaron a reservar el vuelo.

The travel agents helped us book the flight.

Los agentes inmobiliarios mostraron varias casas.

The real estate agents showed several houses.

Necesitamos más agentes de atención al cliente para responder las llamadas.

We need more customer service agents to answer the calls.

Gender Note

Even though 'agente' can refer to a man or a woman, the plural form 'agentes' is grammatically masculine when referring to a mixed group or generally.

plana

PLAH-nahˈplana

nounB2formal
Use 'plana' to refer to the leadership or administrative personnel of an organization, similar to 'cuadro' but often with a slightly more general connotation.
A metal masonry trowel with a wooden handle.

Examples

El albañil usa la plana para alisar el cemento.

The mason uses the trowel to smooth the cement.

La plana mayor de la empresa decidió cambiar la estrategia.

The senior management of the company decided to change the strategy.

pauta

POW-tahˈpaw.ta

nounC1technical
Use 'pauta' specifically when referring to the set of horizontal lines on which musical notes are written, known as a musical staff.
Five parallel horizontal black lines on a clean white background.

Examples

El músico escribió las notas sobre la pauta.

The musician wrote the notes on the staff.

Si no usas una pauta, vas a escribir torcido.

If you don't use ruled lines, you are going to write crookedly.

Concrete vs. Abstract

This is the physical version of the word: actual lines on paper, whereas the other meaning is an abstract 'rule'.

General Staff vs. Specific Roles

Learners often confuse 'empleados', 'personal', and 'plantilla' for general staff. Use 'empleados' for individual workers or the total number, 'personal' for the collective workforce of a place, and 'plantilla' for the official roster or headcount.

Related Translations

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