You know we hired Mary right?
Sabes que contratamos a Mary, verdad? Is contratar right?
3 Answers
contratar is correct
Is contratar the best word for hire? What about emplear? I think there is another word too, ocupar I think, can mean to hire also right? Which is used most here? Is it ocupar? I hear ocupar a lot I think and contratar sounds unusual to me.
All of those can mean "to hire," but like synonyms in English, each has its own sense.
Contratar usually refers to the act of taking on a new employee, and is probably the best word for your example sentence, barring some strange, not-obvious context.
Emplear usually has the idea of "to employ" or "to use for a specific purpose."
La fábrica emplea como mil personas.
El patrón me empleó por dos semanas. (This could mean that he hired me for two weeks, as in, he told me when he gave me the job that it was for the specific purpose of a two-week assignment; or it could mean simply that I worked there for two weeks.)
Ocupar usually has the idea of "to give work to" or "to employ," but it is also used in general to refer to hiring.
Esa compañía está ocupando gente ahora. = That company is hiring people now, or simply, That company is hiring now. Many times this is also stated, Esa compañía está contratando ahora.
Esta semana le estoy ocupando a María, pero la semana que entra le puedes ocupar. = This week Mary is working for me, but next week she can work for you/you can hire her.
Acoger is another fancy word that is used when a company takes on or receives new employees. And there are others.
Is contratar the best word for hire? What about emplear? I think there is another word too, ocupar I think, can mean to hire also right? Which is used most here? Is it ocupar? I hear ocupar a lot I think and contratar sounds unusual to me. Gracias.
