Spanish · People & Family

"Employee" in Spanish: empleado / empleada

el empleado / la empleada

Say it: ehm-pleh-AH-dohmasculine / feminine · el empleado / la empleadanoun/em.pleˈa.ðo/

Employee is el empleado or la empleada. Offices also say personal for empleados as a group. Match empleado endings -o and -a to the worker.

Office desk

El empleado responde el teléfono.
The employee answers the phone.
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How to pronounce empleado / empleada

Say it

ehm-pleh-AH-doh

/em.pleˈa.ðo/

ehm-pleh-AH-doh. Stress AH. Feminine empleada ends -dah.

"Employee" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
el empleado / la empleadathe employee

One worker on a payroll.

empleado de tiempo completofull-time employee

Contracts and HR talk.

nuevo empleadonew employee

Onboarding and introductions.

empleados de la tiendastore employees

Retail teams.

How to use empleado / empleada in real life

  1. 1Office desk

    El empleado responde el teléfono.

    The employee answers the phone.

    Empleado for a male worker.

  2. 2Store floor

    La empleada ayuda a los clientes.

    The employee helps the customers.

    Empleada for a female worker.

  3. 3Staff meeting

    Los empleados firman la lista hoy.

    The employees sign the list today.

    Plural empleados for the staff.

Mistakes English speakers make with empleado / empleada

Incorrect: Soy un employee nuevo.

Correct: Soy un empleado nuevo.

Use empleado or empleada, not English employee.

Incorrect: Ella es empleado de ventas.

Correct: Ella es empleada de ventas.

Women take empleada.

Good to know

HR paperwork in Latin America usually prints empleado or empleada. Casual speech may say gente for empleados as a group.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Asking who can help at a desk

  1. ChatPal

    Ese empleado maneja las quejas.

    That employee handles the complaints.

  2. You

    Prefiero hablar con la empleada de ayer.

    I prefer to talk with yesterday's employee.

  3. ChatPal

    Está bien. Ustedes esperan un momento.

    That's fine. You wait a moment.

  4. You

    Claro. No hay prisa.

    Sure. There's no rush.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Employee" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Employee" in Spanish

Gender forms for employee?

Empleado (m), empleada (f).

Employee vs staff?

One person: empleado. Whole group: el personal.

How do I say new employee?

Nuevo empleado or nueva empleada.

Boss word?

El jefe or la jefa, not empleado.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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