Learning how to talk about professions in Spanish is super useful — you’ll need it when introducing yourself, describing your friends or family, or even when travelling! 💬
In Spanish, most professions have a masculine and feminine form, and you can easily change the gender by modifying the ending. Ready to sound like a pro? Let’s go! 🚀
Let’s explore some of the most common professions in Spanish 🇪🇸 — and what people in those jobs actually do! Understanding what each profession involves will help you remember the words more easily and use them in real situations 💬
👩🏫 El profesor / La profesora (Teacher)
🗣️ Mi profesora de español es muy divertida y explica todo con ejemplos.
(My Spanish teacher is very funny and explains everything with examples.)
👨⚕️ El médico / La médica (Doctor)
🗣️ Mi madre es médica y trabaja en un hospital de Madrid.
(My mum is a doctor and works in a hospital in Madrid.)
🍽️ El camarero / La camarera (Waiter / Waitress)
🗣️ El camarero nos recomendó la mejor paella del restaurante.
(The waiter recommended us the best paella in the restaurant.)
🧑🔧 El ingeniero / La ingeniera (Engineer)
🗣️ Mi hermano es ingeniero y está diseñando un puente nuevo.
(My brother is an engineer and is designing a new bridge.)
💇♀️ El peluquero / La peluquera (Hairdresser)
🗣️ Voy a la peluquería porque mi peluquera me deja el pelo perfecto.
(I’m going to the hairdresser because she always makes my hair look perfect.)
👨🍳 El cocinero / La cocinera (Cook / Chef)
🗣️ El cocinero prepara una tortilla española increíble.
(The chef makes an amazing Spanish omelette.)
🏥 El enfermero / La enfermera (Nurse)
🗣️ La enfermera fue muy amable conmigo durante la consulta.
(The nurse was very kind to me during the appointment.)
⚖️ El abogado / La abogada (Lawyer)
🗣️ Mi tío es abogado y trabaja en un despacho en el centro.
(My uncle is a lawyer and works in an office downtown.)
🏗️ El arquitecto / La arquitecta (Architect)
🗣️ Mi hermana es arquitecta y diseña edificios modernos en Madrid.
(My sister is an architect and designs modern buildings in Madrid.)
🎯 Pro tip: Use professions in your daily Spanish practice! Try describing what your friends or family do for work:
‘Mi madre es médica y mi padre es profesor.’ (My mother is a doctor and my father is a teacher.)
Talking about jobs in Spanish is fun and useful — but you need to know how gender works! 🧠
In Spanish, most professions have masculine and feminine forms, but not all follow the same pattern. Let’s take a look 👇
These are the easiest! You just change the ending -o → -a to switch between masculine and feminine.
👩⚕️ El médico / La médica – doctor
💇♀️ El peluquero / La peluquera – hairdresser
🧑🔧 El ingeniero / La ingeniera – engineer
⚖️ El abogado / La abogada – lawyer
🏗️ El arquitecto / La arquitecta – architect
🗣️ Mi hermana es arquitecta y mi hermano es ingeniero. (My sister is an architect and my brother is an engineer.)
These are neutral words — they don’t change with gender! 🎯
🗣️ Mi madre es periodista y mi primo es estudiante. (My mum is a journalist and my cousin is a student.)
💡 Grammar tip:
If the word ends in -e or -ista, you don’t need to change it for gender — it stays the same! 👉 El artista / La artista 🎨
Not all professions in Spanish follow the simple -o / -a rule 😅. Some completely change their form depending on gender, while others stay exactly the same — you just know who you’re talking about from the article (el or la). Let’s take a look 👇
🎭 El actor / La actriz – actor / actress
🗣️ Mi prima es actriz y trabaja en una serie de televisión.
(My cousin is an actress and works in a TV show.)
⚖️ El juez / La jueza – judge
🗣️ El juez escucha el caso con atención y la jueza dicta la sentencia.
(The judge listens to the case carefully and the female judge gives the verdict.)
And now, the ones that never change at all! 😄
🗣️ La terapeuta es muy simpática y el piloto es español. (The therapist is very nice and the pilot is Spanish.)
💡 Pro tip:
In Spain, people often use the feminine form when talking about women, especially in everyday speech. It sounds more natural and inclusive 🇪🇸✨
In Spanish, when we talk about what someone does, we usually don’t use the article (un / una).
So instead of saying ‘Soy un profesor’, we say simply ‘Soy profesor’.
💬 Example conversations:
🗣️ — ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do for a living?)
👩 — Soy enfermera en una clínica. (I’m a nurse in a clinic.)
🗣️ — ¿En qué trabaja tu hermano? (What does your brother do?)
👨 — Es camarero en un restaurante italiano. (He’s a waiter in an Italian restaurant.)
These little structures are super common in real life — try using them when introducing yourself or your friends! 💬
Here are some everyday jobs you’ll often hear about in Spain and Latin America 🇪🇸🌎 — from traditional to modern!
👷 El albañil — builds houses and walls.
👩💻 La programadora — creates apps and websites.
🚗 El taxista — drives people around the city.
💄 La maquilladora — does makeup for weddings or films.
🐕 El veterinario — cares for animals.
🧹 La limpiadora — keeps homes and offices clean.
📸 El fotógrafo — captures beautiful moments.
💬 Example:
‘Mi prima es veterinaria y trabaja con perros y gatos todos los días.’ (My cousin is a vet and works with dogs and cats every day.)
🎯 Pro tip: Professions can also express passion — not just jobs!
‘Soy músico porque me encanta componer canciones.’ (I’m a musician because I love writing songs.)
Let’s add a few expressions you can use to talk about your job or someone else’s:
💬 ¿A qué te dedicas? — What do you do for a living?
💬 Soy profesor. — I’m a teacher.
💬 Trabajo en un hospital. — I work in a hospital.
💬 Mi hermano es camarero en un bar. — My brother is a waiter in a bar.
💬 Quiero ser médico en el futuro. — I want to be a doctor in the future.
🪄 Pro tip: Remember — in Spanish we don’t use un/una before professions! Say ‘Soy enfermera’, not ‘Soy una enfermera’.
🗂️ Related vocabulary
Here’s some extra vocabulary related to jobs and workplaces:
💻 la oficina — office
🏢 la empresa — company
💼 el trabajo — job / work
📅 el horario — schedule
🧾 el sueldo — salary
🎓 el jefe / la jefa — boss
👥 el compañero / la compañera de trabajo — workmate
Whether you’re working in Spain 💻, job-hunting 🧐, or just chatting about your day, these expressions will help you sound like a real Spanish speaker 🇪🇸.
Let’s see how to talk about being busy, late, or even looking for a job (because yes… we’ve all been there 😅).
💼 Estoy hasta arriba de trabajo. (I’m swamped with work.)
➡️ Perfect to say when you have way too much to do!
📞 Estoy en una reunión. (I’m in a meeting.)
➡️ Use this when you can’t answer a call or message.
😰 Estoy muy ocupado / ocupada. (I’m very busy.)
➡️ Great for explaining why you can’t meet up or reply quickly.
⏰ Llego tarde al trabajo. (I’m late for work.)
➡️ Common phrase you’ll hear every morning on the metro 😅
🧳 Estoy buscando trabajo. (I’m looking for a job.)
➡️ Use this when you’re on the hunt for new opportunities.
🏖️ Estoy de vacaciones. (I’m on holiday.)
➡️ Finally! The best phrase of them all 😎
🧑💼 Empiezo un trabajo nuevo. (I’m starting a new job.)
➡️ A great one to celebrate a big change in your life!
🗣️ Example conversation:
👩💻 – ¿Puedes hablar ahora? (Can you talk now?)
👨💼 – No puedo, estoy en una reunión. (I can’t, I’m in a meeting.)
🕔 Tengo una entrevista de trabajo. (I have a job interview.)
🤒 Estoy de baja. (I’m off sick.)
🪑 Trabajo desde casa. (I work from home.)
📆 Tengo que quedarme hasta tarde. (I have to stay late.)
🍷 Después del trabajo vamos a tomar algo. (After work, let’s go for a drink.)
✨ Pro tip: In Spain, people often say curro instead of trabajo in informal situations. So instead of 'Estoy buscando trabajo', you can say 'Estoy buscando curro' – it sounds super natural! 🇪🇸
Now you can talk confidently about professions in Spanish! 💪
You’ve learned how to use masculine and feminine forms, what each profession means, and even how to ask people about their jobs.
🌟 Whether you’re describing your family, chatting with locals, or introducing yourself in Spanish class, these expressions will make you sound more natural and fluent.
💬 So tell us — ¿Qué quieres ser en el futuro?
(What do you want to be in the future?) 👩🚀👨🍳👩🎤
Instructions: Choose the correct answer in Spanish for each question.
🕵️♀️ Which profession do you find most fun or interesting? Why? 🤯 Have you ever been swamped with work?
👇😍Share your answers in the comments and practice your Spanish! 💬🇪🇸