emplea

Emplea is a form of the Spanish verb emplear, meaning to employ or to use. It functions as the third-person singular present indicative form (él/ella/usted emplea) and also as the affirmative informal imperative for tú (emplea). The verb appears across tenses and moods, with common derivatives such as empleando (gerund) and empleado/a (past participle).

Conjugation highlights include: yo empleo, tú empleas, él/ella/usted emplea; nosotros empleamos, vosotros empleáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes emplean. The affirmative tú command is emplea, and the negative is no emplees. Other key forms include present subjunctive: yo emplee, tú emplees, él/ella/usted emplee; nosotros empleemos, vosotros empleéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes empleen; gerundio empleando; participio pasado empleado.

Usage and meanings encompass several closely related senses. Emplear can mean to hire or recruit someone, to use a resource or method, or to apply time and effort to a task. In practice, it is common in business, technology, and everyday language to express allocating or utilizing something. Examples: “La empresa emplea a 200 trabajadores.” “La técnica emplea una combinación de métodos.” “Es necesario emplear prudencia al evaluar los datos.” Emplear often appears with nouns such as recursos, tiempo, tecnología, método, and fuerza de trabajo.

Related terms include empleado (employee), empleador (employer), empleabilidad (employability), and empleo (employment or job). The word is a foundational verb in Spanish for discussions of work, procedures, and the use of tools or methods.