¿A qué te dedicas? ¿Cuál es tu trabajo?
Learning about jobs in Spanish is fun and useful! This guide will teach you how to talk about different careers in Spanish. You’ll learn new words, how to use them in sentences, and even see examples of conversations about work. Whether you want to describe your own job or ask others about theirs, this guide will help you do it in Spanish!
Gender and the definite article in Spanish professions
In Spanish, job titles change based on whether you’re talking about a man or a woman. For example:
- el maestro (male teacher) / la maestra (female teacher)
- el doctor (male doctor) / la doctora (female doctor)
- el abogado (male lawyer) / la abogada (female lawyer)
Some job titles stay the same for both genders, but the article changes:
- el artista (male artist) / la artista (female artist)
- el periodista (male journalist) / la periodista (female journalist)
Remember, in Spanish, we usually use the article (el/la) before the job title when talking about a specific person’s occupation.
How to say Spanish professions in plural form
To make job titles plural in Spanish, follow these simple rules:
- For words ending in a vowel, add -s:
- maestro → maestros
- enfermera → enfermeras
- For words ending in a consonant, add -es:
- doctor → doctores
- profesor → profesores
- For words ending in -z, change -z to -c and add -es:
- juez → jueces
How to use verbs
When talking about jobs in Spanish, you’ll often use these verbs:
- Ser (to be): Use this to say what someone’s job is.
- Soy maestro. (I am a teacher.)
- Ella es doctora. (She is a doctor.)
- Trabajar (to work): Use this to talk about where someone works.
- Trabajo en un hospital. (I work in a hospital.)
- Él trabaja como ingeniero. (He works as an engineer.)
- Estudiar (to study): Use this to talk about what someone is studying to become.
- Estudio para ser abogado. (I’m studying to be a lawyer.)
how to incorporate “las profesiones” in a Spanish conversation
To talk about jobs in Spanish, you can use these phrases:
- ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do for a living?)
- ¿Cuál es tu profesión? (What is your profession?)
- ¿Dónde trabajas? (Where do you work?)
- ¿Te gusta tu trabajo? (Do you like your job?)
- ¿Qué quieres ser cuando seas mayor? (What do you want to be when you grow up?)
Vocabulary used in the lesson
English | Spanish | 🎧 |
---|---|---|
Doctor | Médico/Médica | |
Lawyer | Abogado/Abogada | |
Teacher | Profesor/Profesora | |
Nurse | Enfermero/Enfermera | |
Journalist | Periodista | |
Engineer | Ingeniero/Ingeniera | |
Architect | Arquitecto/Arquitecta | |
Musician | Músico/Música | |
Artist | Artista | |
Writer | Escritor/Escritora | |
Painter | Pintor/Pintora | |
Mechanic | Mecánico/Mecánica | |
Electrician | Electricista | |
Administrator | Administrador/Administradora | |
Athlete | Atleta | |
Singer | Cantante |
Questions and sentences related to professions and occupations
English | Spanish | 🎧 |
---|---|---|
What do you do for a living? | ¿A qué te dedicas? | |
What is your job? | ¿Cuál es tu trabajo? | |
What is your profession? | ¿Cuál es tu profesión? | |
Did you go to college? | ¿Fuiste a la Universidad? | |
I am a doctor and I work in a clinic. | Soy médico y trabajo en una clínica. | |
My mother is a nurse. | Mi madre es enfermera. | |
My sister is a professor and teaches at the university. | Mi hermana es profesora y enseña en la universidad. | |
My father works in a law firm. | Mi padre trabaja en un bufete de abogados. | |
My uncle is an architect and designs soccer stadiums. | Mi tío es arquitecto y diseña estadios de fútbol. | |
I am an engineer and work in a car factory. | Soy ingeniero y trabajo en una fábrica de coches. | |
My friend is a journalist and works at Channel 11. | Mi amiga es periodista y trabaja en el canal 11. | |
I am a chef and work in a restaurant. | Soy Chef y trabajo en un restaurante. | |
My brother is a mechanic and owns a car repair shop. | Mi hermano es mecánico y tiene un taller de reparación de automóviles. | |
My cousin is a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture. | Mi primo es carpintero y hace unos muebles hermosos. | |
I am an electrician and work at a TV station. | Soy electricista y trabajo un canal de televisión. | |
My father fixes pipes, he is a plumber. | Mi padre arregla tuberías, es fontanero. | |
I am a mechanical engineer and I am finishing a master’s degree in digital mechatronics. | Soy Ingeniero mecánico y estoy terminando una maestría en Mecatrónica digital. |
Professions by sector

Health
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Médico/a | Doctor |
Enfermero/a | Nurse |
Dentista | Dentist |
Farmacéutico/a | Pharmacist |
Fisioterapeuta | Physiotherapist |

Education
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Maestro/a | Teacher |
Profesor/a | Professor |
Director/a | Principal |
Consejero/a escolar | School Counselor |
Bibliotecario/a | Librarian |

Engineering
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Ingeniero/a civil | Civil Engineer |
Ingeniero/a mecánico/a | Mechanical Engineer |
Ingeniero/a eléctrico/a | Electrical Engineer |
Ingeniero/a de software | Software Engineer |
Ingeniero/a químico/a | Chemical Engineer |

Information Technology
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Desarrollador/a de software | Software Developer |
Analista de sistemas | Systems Analyst |
Administrador/a de redes | Network Administrator |
Especialista en ciberseguridad | Cybersecurity Specialist |
Técnico/a de soporte | Support Technician |

Social Sciences
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Psicólogo/a | Psychologist |
Trabajador/a social | Social Worker |
Sociólogo/a | Sociologist |
Antropólogo/a | Anthropologist |
Politólogo/a | Political Scientist |

Arts and Humanities
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Artista | Artist |
Escritor/a | Writer |
Historiador/a | Historian |
Filósofo/a | Philosopher |
Músico/a | Musician |

Business and Finance
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Contador/a | Accountant |
Analista financiero/a | Financial Analyst |
Gerente de recursos humanos | Human Resources Manager |
Consultor/a | Consultant |
Emprendedor/a | Entrepreneur |

Law
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Abogado/a | Lawyer |
Juez/a | Judge |
Fiscal | Prosecutor |

Military
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Soldado | Soldier |
Oficial | Officer |
Piloto | Pilot |
Marinero/a | Sailor |
Médico militar | Military Doctor |

Sports
Profesión en Español | English |
---|---|
Futbolista | Soccer Player |
Tenista | Tennis Player |
Nadador/a | Swimmer |
Corredor/a | Runner |
Entrenador/a | Coach |

Example Dialog
Diálogo en Español
Ana: Hola, Carlos y Beatriz. ¿De qué trabajan ustedes?
Carlos: Hola, Ana. Yo soy ingeniero de software. ¿Y tú, Beatriz?
Beatriz: Yo soy enfermera en un hospital. ¿Y tú, Ana?
Ana: Yo soy profesora de matemáticas en una escuela secundaria. ¿Dónde estudiaron sus profesiones?
Carlos: Estudié ingeniería informática en la Universidad Central. ¿Y tú, Beatriz?
Beatriz: Yo estudié enfermería en la Universidad de Los Andes. ¿Y tú, Ana?
Ana: Yo estudié educación en la Universidad Simón Bolívar. ¿Cuánto dinero ganan en sus trabajos?
Carlos: Gano alrededor de 3,000 dólares al mes. ¿Y tú, Beatriz?
Beatriz: Yo gano aproximadamente 1,500 dólares al mes. ¿Y tú, Ana?
Ana: Yo gano cerca de 2,000 dólares al mes. Es interesante conocer sobre sus profesiones.
Dialogue in English
Ana: Hi, Carlos and Beatriz. What do you do for a living?
Carlos: Hi, Ana. I am a software engineer. And you, Beatriz?
Beatriz: I am a nurse at a hospital. And you, Ana?
Ana: I am a math teacher at a high school. Where did you study your professions?
Carlos: I studied computer engineering at Central University. And you, Beatriz?
Beatriz: I studied nursing at the University of Los Andes. And you, Ana?
Ana: I studied education at Simón Bolívar University. How much do you earn in your jobs?
Carlos: I earn around 3,000 dollars a month. And you, Beatriz?
Beatriz: I earn approximately 1,500 dollars a month. And you, Ana?
Ana: I earn about 2,000 dollars a month. It’s interesting to learn about your professions.
Espero que esto te sea útil. ¿Hay algo más en lo que pueda ayudarte?
Conclusions
Learning about jobs in Spanish opens up new ways to talk about work and careers. You can now describe what you do, ask others about their jobs, and understand when people talk about their professions in Spanish. Keep practicing these words and phrases, and soon you’ll be able to have great conversations about work in Spanish!