Learn Spanish (Latin America): El jefe comenta que van a contratar al chico. - The boss comments that they are going to hire the boy.

Yes! In English, we often drop the word "that" and just say, "The boss comments they are going to hire the boy." In Spanish, you can never drop the que when connecting these two parts of a sentence.

Is comenta exactly the same as "comments" in English?

It translates directly to "comments," but in Spanish, comentar is used much more frequently. It often acts as a polite or casual way to say "mentions," "remarks," or even just "says" (as an alternative to dice).

Why is it al chico instead of just el chico?

This is because of the "personal a." Whenever a specific person is the direct object of a verb (in this case, the boy being hired), you must place an a before them. When the preposition a is followed by the masculine article el, they combine to make the contraction al.

Why is the verb van (they are going) plural if the boss is the one speaking?

The boss (el jefe) is the subject of the first part of the sentence (comenta). However, the second part of the sentence has a new subject. By using the plural van, the boss is saying that "they" (meaning the company, management, or the HR team) are going to hire the boy.