entrevistado

The Spanish word entrevistado is primarily the past participle of the verb entrevistar (to interview), but in common usage, it functions most frequently as an adjective or a noun. At its core, it refers to a person who has undergone an interview process. Whether it is a job candidate sitting across from a human resources manager, a celebrity speaking to a journalist, or a witness providing a statement to an investigator, the individual receiving the questions is the entrevistado. This term is essential for navigating professional, academic, and media-related environments in the Spanish-speaking world. Understanding this word requires recognizing its passive nature; it describes the recipient of the action of interviewing. In a professional context, being the entrevistado implies a position of being evaluated or sharing information. It is a formal term, though it is used universally across all Spanish dialects without significant regional variation in meaning.

Grammatical Role

As an adjective, it must agree in gender and number with the person it describes: el hombre entrevistado (the interviewed man), la mujer entrevistada (the interviewed woman), los candidatos entrevistados (the interviewed candidates).

In the realm of media and journalism, the entrevistado is the star of the segment. When you watch a talk show or read a newspaper article, the person providing the quotes is the interviewee. This role carries specific social expectations in Hispanic culture, often involving a degree of formality and respect, especially in 'usted' forms during the interaction. The term is also used in sociological research to identify participants in qualitative studies. When researchers compile data, they refer to the subjects as los sujetos entrevistados. This highlights the word's versatility, spanning from the high-pressure environment of a corporate office to the controlled setting of a laboratory or the public stage of a television studio.

Beyond the literal meaning of 'having been interviewed,' the word carries a connotation of being the center of attention or the source of authority on a specific topic during a conversation. When someone is described as the entrevistado, there is an inherent power dynamic established between them and the entrevistador (the interviewer). This dynamic is crucial in Spanish culture, where hierarchy and professional titles often dictate the tone of the conversation. In legal or formal investigative settings, being the entrevistado is distinct from being the interrogado (the interrogated one); the former usually implies a more cooperative or neutral exchange, whereas the latter suggests a more confrontational or suspicious context. Therefore, choosing to use entrevistado often signals a level of professional courtesy or journalistic neutrality.

Common Contexts

Job applications, television news, radio podcasts, academic research, and legal depositions are the primary arenas where you will encounter this term frequently.

Historically, the word derives from the verb entrevistar, which itself is a relatively modern formation in Spanish, influenced by the French entrevoir. It suggests the idea of 'seeing between' or 'glimpsing' into someone's thoughts or qualifications. This etymological root perfectly captures the essence of what it means to be an entrevistado: you are allowing someone to see into your professional or personal life for a specific purpose. In modern digital media, the term has expanded to include influencers or experts featured in YouTube videos or live streams. Even in these informal settings, the person answering the questions is referred to as the entrevistado, maintaining the word's relevance in the 21st century.

Word Nuance

While 'entrevistado' refers to the person, 'entrevista' refers to the event itself. Do not confuse the person with the process.

Using entrevistado correctly in a sentence involves mastering its agreement with the noun it modifies or the subject it refers to. Because it is a past participle used as an adjective, it follows the standard rules of Spanish gender and number. If you are talking about a group of women, you must use entrevistadas. If you are talking about a mixed group or a group of men, use entrevistados. This is a fundamental step that separates beginner learners from intermediate speakers. For example, in a sentence like 'The interviewed candidates were very capable,' you would say: Los candidatos entrevistados eran muy capaces. Notice how entrevistados matches candidatos in both masculine gender and plural number.

Another common way to use this word is in the passive voice with the verb ser. In this construction, ser + entrevistado indicates that the action was performed on the subject. For instance, 'She was interviewed yesterday' translates to Ella fue entrevistada ayer. It is important to note that in spoken Spanish, especially in casual conversation, people might prefer the active voice ('They interviewed her' -> La entrevistaron ayer), but in formal writing, reports, and news, the passive use of entrevistado is very common. It allows the focus to remain on the person who underwent the interview rather than the person who conducted it. This is particularly useful in headlines or summaries where the identity of the interviewee is more important than the interviewer.

Positioning

When used as an adjective, 'entrevistado' almost always follows the noun it describes. For example: 'el autor entrevistado' (the interviewed author). Placing it before the noun would be highly unusual and poetic.

You can also use entrevistado as a noun by adding an article before it. El entrevistado means 'the interviewee.' This is frequently seen in transcripts of interviews where the speakers are labeled as Entrevistador and Entrevistado. If you are writing a report about a series of interviews you conducted for a school project or a work task, you might write: 'El primer entrevistado mencionó que la falta de tiempo es su mayor problema.' Here, the word acts as a shorthand for 'the person who was interviewed,' making your writing more concise and professional. It functions similarly to words like empleado (employee) or invitado (guest), which also began as past participles.

In more complex sentence structures, entrevistado can appear in absolute clauses. For example: 'Una vez entrevistado el testigo, la policía procedió a cerrar la calle' (Once the witness was interviewed, the police proceeded to close the street). This usage is quite formal and is typically found in literature, journalism, or legal documents. It indicates that one action (the interview) was completed before the next action began. Mastering this type of structure will significantly elevate your Spanish proficiency level, moving you from B1 toward B2 and C1. It demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of how past participles function as independent elements in a sentence to provide temporal context.

Agreement Table

Masculine Singular: entrevistado | Feminine Singular: entrevistada | Masculine Plural: entrevistados | Feminine Plural: entrevistadas

If you turn on the television in any Spanish-speaking country, you are likely to hear the word entrevistado within the first thirty minutes of a news broadcast. News anchors frequently use it to introduce guests or to refer back to someone they just spoke with. For instance, after a segment with a politician, the anchor might say, 'Agradecemos al entrevistado por su tiempo' (We thank the interviewee for his time). It is the standard, respectful way to refer to a guest in a journalistic setting. Similarly, in the world of sports journalism, players are often entrevistados on the field immediately after a match. You will hear reporters say, 'Estamos aquí con nuestro primer entrevistado de la noche,' creating a sense of immediacy and professional reporting.

Professional World

In offices and corporate buildings, 'entrevistado' is the bread and butter of HR departments. You'll hear it in phrases like '¿Quién es el siguiente entrevistado?' (Who is the next interviewee?).

Podcasts have become a massive medium in the Spanish-speaking world, from Spain to Argentina. In these audio formats, the host often refers to their guest as the entrevistado or entrevistada. They might discuss the 'perfil del entrevistado' (the profile of the interviewee) or mention how many people they have entrevistado in a particular season. Because podcasts often involve deep-dive conversations, the word takes on a more personal tone, but it remains the technically correct term. If you are listening to a podcast to improve your Spanish, pay attention to how the host transitions between their own commentary and the words of the person being interviewed; you will notice this word appearing as a bridge between the two.

In academic and sociological contexts, the word is ubiquitous. When researchers conduct qualitative studies, they spend hours with entrevistados. In academic papers, you will see sentences like 'El 80% de los entrevistados coincidieron en que la economía es su principal preocupación.' This usage is very formal and precise. It defines the population of the study. If you are a student in a Spanish-speaking country or reading academic texts in Spanish, you must be comfortable with this word as a way to describe data sources. It is less about the person's identity and more about their role as a provider of information within the framework of the research.

Finally, you will encounter this word in the legal and administrative world. When someone applies for a visa or a residency permit, they are often entrevistados by a consular officer. The official records will refer to them as 'el entrevistado.' In this context, the word carries a weight of officialdom and procedure. It is not just a conversation; it is a formal interview with legal implications. Similarly, in police work, while 'interrogado' is used for suspects, 'entrevistado' is often used for witnesses or people providing background information. It suggests a non-accusatory interaction. Hearing this word in a movie or a TV crime drama can give you clues about the status of the character in the eyes of the law.

Media Usage

In newspapers like El País or El Mundo, look for 'entrevistado' in the bylines or introductory paragraphs of feature stories to identify the subject.

One of the most frequent errors English speakers make when using entrevistado is confusing it with its counterpart, entrevistador. In English, the suffix '-ee' (interviewee) and '-er' (interviewer) are distinct, and the same logic applies in Spanish with '-ado' and '-ador'. However, because the words sound similar to a non-native ear, learners often swap them. Remember: the entrevistado is the one answering the questions, while the entrevistador is the one asking them. If you say, 'El entrevistado hizo preguntas muy difíciles,' you are saying the person being interviewed asked the hard questions, which usually isn't the case unless it was a very strange interview!

The '-ado' vs '-ador' Trap

Think of '-ado' as the 'acted upon' (passive) and '-ador' as the 'actor' (active). This applies to many Spanish word pairs: empleado/empleador, narrado/narrador.

Another common mistake involves gender and number agreement. In English, the word 'interviewed' is static. Whether you interviewed one man, ten women, or a mixed group, the word remains 'interviewed.' In Spanish, this is a major pitfall. A student might say, 'Las mujeres fueron entrevistado,' which is grammatically incorrect. It must be Las mujeres fueron entrevistadas. This error is particularly noticeable to native speakers because it disrupts the natural flow and rhythm of the language. Always double-check the noun you are describing and make sure the ending of entrevistado matches it perfectly in both gender (o/a) and number (s).

A subtle but frequent error is the misuse of the verbs ser and estar with entrevistado. When describing the state of having been interviewed, we use ser for the passive voice action ('Fue entrevistado por la mañana') but we might use estar to describe a state resulting from an action, though this is less common with this specific word. Usually, if you want to say 'He is the one who was interviewed,' you use es el que fue entrevistado. Using estar can sometimes change the meaning to imply a temporary condition that doesn't quite fit the logic of an interview. Stick to ser when forming the passive voice to describe the event itself.

Finally, learners sometimes over-rely on the noun form and forget that it can also be a simple past participle in a compound tense. For example, in the present perfect: 'He entrevistado a tres personas hoy' (I have interviewed three people today). In this case, entrevistado does NOT change its ending because it is part of the verb phrase with haber. A common mistake is trying to make it agree with the object: 'He entrevistadas a tres personas' is wrong. When used with haber, the past participle always ends in '-o'. Understanding when to change the ending (adjective/noun/passive voice) and when to keep it static (compound tenses) is a key milestone in Spanish grammar mastery.

Agreement Rule Summary

Changes ending: As an adjective or in the passive voice with 'ser'.
Does NOT change ending: In compound tenses with 'haber' (e.g., He entrevistado).

While entrevistado is the most direct term for an interviewee, several other words can be used depending on the specific context. Choosing the right alternative can make your Spanish sound more precise and natural. One common alternative is candidato (candidate). This is specifically used in the context of job interviews or elections. While an entrevistado is simply someone being questioned, a candidato is someone vying for a position. In a professional setting, you might hear: 'El candidato número cinco ya está listo,' which sounds more natural than 'El entrevistado número cinco' if the focus is on the job application process.

entrevistado vs. candidato

Use 'entrevistado' to focus on the act of the conversation. Use 'candidato' to focus on the person's goal of getting a job or office.

In the context of surveys and statistics, the word encuestado is the preferred term. An encuesta is a survey or poll, so an encuestado is someone who has answered a questionnaire. While an interview is usually a deep, verbal conversation, a survey is often a set of fixed questions given to many people. If you are talking about public opinion polls, you should use encuestado. For example: 'La mayoría de los encuestados prefiere el café sobre el té.' Using entrevistado here would imply that the researchers had long, personal conversations with thousands of people, which is usually not the case for a simple poll.

Another word that is often confused with entrevistado is interrogado. As mentioned earlier, interrogado comes from interrogar (to interrogate). This word carries a much heavier, often negative connotation. It is used in police investigations, military contexts, or very intense questioning where the person being asked is under suspicion. If you use interrogado to describe a job candidate, it might sound like the boss was being mean or accusatory! Use entrevistado for professional and neutral situations, and reserve interrogado for situations involving the law or high-pressure investigations.

In media contexts, you might also hear invitado (guest). This is a warmer, more welcoming term. On a talk show like 'El Hormiguero' in Spain, the celebrity is usually called 'el invitado' rather than 'el entrevistado.' It emphasizes the hospitality of the show. However, the host might still say, 'Hoy hemos entrevistado a una gran estrella,' using the verb form to describe the action. Finally, in academic research, informante (informant) is sometimes used to refer to someone who provides data, though this can sound a bit like spy terminology in other contexts. For most learners, sticking with entrevistado for general use and candidato for jobs is the safest and most effective strategy.

Comparison Chart

Entrevistado: General, neutral, journalistic.
Encuestado: Survey/Poll participant.
Interrogado: Legal/Police context, high pressure.
Invitado: Media guest, friendly tone.
Candidato: Job seeker or political hopeful.