When a company has a job to do and pays another company to do part of it, we say the first company subcontracts that part. A building firm wins the contract to build a school, then subcontracts the electrical work, the windows, and the painting to smaller firms.

When a company has a job to do and pays another company to do part of it當一家公司有工作要做，付錢給另一家公司做其中一部分的時候 we say the first company subcontracts that part我們就說第一家公司把那部分subcontract出去了。A building firm wins the contract to build a school一家營造公司標到蓋一所學校的合約 then 然後 subcontracts the electrical work, the windows, and the painting to smaller firms把電力工程、窗戶，和油漆工程subcontract給比較小的公司。

The first firm still answers to the customer for the whole thing — that is the point. It has not handed the job away; it has quietly bought help underneath itself.

The first firm still answers to the customer for the whole thing第一家公司對客戶來說，還是要為整件事負責 that is the point這就是重點。It has not handed the job away它並沒有把工作交出去 it has quietly bought help underneath itself它只是悄悄地在自己底下多買了一些幫手。

The word is a verb ('they subcontracted the cleaning to a local company') and also a noun ('the electrical subcontract'), and as a noun it means the smaller agreement that sits under the main one. The two are said differently, which surprises learners: as a verb the stress falls at the end, sub-con-TRACT, while as a noun it tends to move forward, SUB-contract.

The word is a verb這個字可以當動詞 ('they subcontracted the cleaning to a local company')("they subcontracted the cleaning to a local company") and also a noun也可以當名詞 ('the electrical subcontract')("the electrical subcontract") and 當名詞的時候 as a noun it means the smaller agreement that sits under the main one指的是掛在主合約底下的那份比較小的合約。The two are said differently這兩種用法的重音不一樣 which surprises learners這常常讓學習者意外 as a verb the stress falls at the end當動詞的時候重音落在後面 sub-con-TRACTsub-con-TRACT while 而 as a noun it tends to move forward當名詞的時候重音往前移 SUB-contractSUB-contract。

You will meet this word most in business, construction, government projects, and news stories about who was really responsible when something went wrong — because subcontracting is exactly where responsibility gets blurry. That is why it often carries a faint smell of criticism in reporting, even though the word itself is neutral: it is a completely normal, legal, everyday way to organise work.

You will meet this word most你最常遇到這個字 in business, construction, government projects在商業、建築工程、政府標案裡 and 還有在 news stories about who was really responsible when something went wrong講出事之後到底該誰負責的新聞報導裡 because 因為 subcontracting is exactly where responsibility gets blurrysubcontracting正是責任會變模糊的地方。That is why這就是為什麼 it often carries a faint smell of criticism in reporting它在報導裡常常帶一點批評的味道 even though儘管 the word itself is neutral這個字本身是中性的 it is a completely normal, legal, everyday way to organise work它其實是一種完全正常、合法、日常在組織工作的方式。

Common patterns: subcontract something to somebody, subcontract out (the work was subcontracted out).

Common patterns常見的搭配 subcontract something to somebodysubcontract something to somebody（把某件事分包給某人） subcontract outsubcontract out (the work was subcontracted out)（the work was subcontracted out，這份工作被分包出去了）。