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Jobs and Professions in Spanish

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Jobs and Professions in Spanish

Soy profesor de español

Most professions, jobs, and occupations in Spanish have both a masculine and a feminine form, like “profesor” and “profesora” (teacher), but some of them have only one form, like “estudiante” (student) and “artista” (artista), which we use for both women and men.

When we want to know what someone does we ask “¿A qué te dedicas?” (What do you do?) and we answer using the verb “ser”:

Yo soy gerente de hotel
I’m a hotel manager

*In Spanish we don’t add an article when we say what we or someone else does:

Yo soy una secretaria
Yo soy secretaria

We add an adjective that describes HOW someone does their job:

Él es un actor muy bueno
He’s a very good actor

So you know how to ask what someone’s job is and state yours, now let’s look at how to say different professions and jobs in Spanish.

Professions in Spanish

First, let’s see how to talk about professions in an educational setting. 

En la escuela
At school
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Profesor / Profesora
Teacher
Estudiante
Student

In this next list, we have some common office professions.

En una oficina
In an office
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Abogado / Abogada
Lawyer
Secretario / Secretaria
Secretary
Recepcionista
Receptionist
Gerente
Manager
Contador / Contadora
Accountant
Arquitecto / Arquitecta
Architect
Político / Política
Politician
Ingeniero / Ingeniera
Engineer

Here we have some trades and jobs commonly found around the city.

En la ciudad
Around the city
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Oficial de policía
Police officer / Police man, Police woman
Constructor / Constructora
Builder
Vendedor / Vendedora
Salesman / Saleswoman
Plomero / Plomera
Plumber
Bombero / Bombera
Firefighter
Periodista
Journalist
Cartero / Cartera
Mailman
Cajero / Cajera
Cashier / Checker
Mecánico / Mecánica
Mechanic
Taxista
Taxi Driver

Let’s look at some medical jobs now.

La medicina
Medicine
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Médico
Doctor
Enfermero / Enfermera
Nurse
Dentista
Dentist
Veterinario / Veterinaria
Veterinarian

Here are some artistic professions. 

Las artes
The arts
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Pintor / Pintora
Painter
Actor / Actriz
Actor / Actress
Artista
Artist
Escritor / Escritora
Writer
Músico / Música
Musician
Cantante
Singer

Next, some jobs people have in the restaurant industry.

En un restaurante
At a restaurant
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Mesero / Mesera
Waiter / Waitress
Cocinero / Cocinera
Cook

Finally, a few crucial jobs that happen in the home.

En casa
At home
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Ama de casa
Housewife
Niñero / Niñera
Babysitter

Let’s practice with some simple exchanges about what we do. Here are a few examples of basic interactions that have to do with professions and jobs.

En contexto
In context
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¿A qué te dedicas?
What do you do?
¿A qué se dedica (usted)?
What do you do? (formal)
Ellas son estudiantes.
They are students.
Pablo es médico.
Pablo is a doctor.
Yo soy ingeniero.
I’m an engineer.
Juan es un abogado muy bueno.
Juan is a very good lawyer.
¿Dónde trabajas?
Where do you work?
¿Dónde trabaja (usted)?
Where do you work? (formal)
Interacción
Interaction
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—¿A qué te dedicas?
—What do you do?
—Soy abogada, ¿y tú?
—I’m a lawyer. And you?
—Yo soy actor.
—I’m an actor.
—Qué interesante. ¿Dónde trabajas?
—How interesting. Where do you work?
—En el teatro.
—In the theater.
Interacción
Interaction
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—Yo soy enfermera, ¿y tú?
—I’m a nurse, and you?
—Yo soy abogado.
—I’m a lawyer.
—Mi hermano también es abogado.
—Mi brother’s a lawyer too.
—¿Ah sí? ¿Dónde trabaja?
—Oh really? Where does he work?
—Él trabaja en una oficina en el centro.
—He works in an office downtown.

In this post, you’ve learned a handful of professions and jobs in different fields, such as education, medical, law, arts, trades, and more. We’ve also shown you some simple exchanges to share your profession and ask others about theirs. Check out our post on Giving and Asking for Personal Information or learn more about other ways to use the Verb “Ser”.

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