Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Employee in Spanish: Empleado
Empleado · noun · ehm-pleh-AH-doh
Empleado is the Spanish word for employee and refers to anyone who works for an employer. The feminine form is empleada. For government workers, funcionario is more specific, while trabajador emphasizes the labor aspect and is often used in legal or union contexts.
Pronounce empleado as ehm-pleh-AH-doh, with the stress on the third syllable. The pl blend is identical to English.
Cada empleado tiene derecho a vacaciones pagadas.
Every employee has the right to paid vacation.
Employee in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for employee, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| empleado | employee | ehm-pleh-AH-doh | Default, widely understood |
| trabajador | employee | emphasizes the worker role | |
| funcionario | employee | government or public-sector employee |
How Native Speakers Use Empleado
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Talking about workplace rights
Los empleados de la empresa recibieron un aumento este año.
The company's employees received a raise this year.
Empleados is the standard plural used in corporate and legal contexts.
Referring to a specific worker
La empleada de la recepción me ayudó con mi reservación.
The employee at the front desk helped me with my reservation.
Empleada reflects feminine gender agreement, essential in Spanish.
Government employee context
Mi hermano es funcionario del ministerio de educación.
My brother is a government employee at the ministry of education.
Funcionario is preferred over empleado when referring to civil servants.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Empleado
Forgetting feminine form
Incorrect: Ella es un empleado excelente.
Correct: Ella es una empleada excelente.
Empleado changes to empleada for women. Spanish requires gender agreement between the article, noun, and adjective.
Confusing empleado with employer
Incorrect: El empleado me contrató la semana pasada.
Correct: El empleador me contrató la semana pasada.
Empleado is the employee; empleador is the employer. Mixing them up reverses who hired whom in the sentence.
Lock in Employee Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
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See Empleado used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using empleado in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Cada empleado tiene derecho a vacaciones pagadas. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About Employee in Spanish
- How do you say employee in Spanish?
- Employee in Spanish is empleado for a male employee and empleada for a female employee. The word comes from the verb emplear (to employ) and is used in both casual and formal contexts.
- What is the difference between empleado and trabajador?
- Empleado specifically refers to someone employed by a company or individual, implying a contractual relationship. Trabajador is broader and simply means worker, encompassing freelancers, laborers, and self-employed individuals as well.
- How do you say employer in Spanish?
- The employer is el empleador or, more formally, el patrón. In some Latin American countries, patrón carries a more traditional or hierarchical connotation, while empleador is the neutral legal term.