Boost your vocabulary: Professions in Spanish

Knowing how to talk about professions in Spanish is key if we’re aiming to reach fluency. This is true whether we’re learning the language for personal or professional goals. 

Think about it: when we meet someone new, isn’t work typically one of the first topics to come up? Having a solid list of job names and useful work-related phrases in Spanish will amp up your communication skills in work and social settings alike!

Boost your vocabulary: Professions in Spanish

Here, we’ve compiled a list of common occupations in Spanish along with some grammar tips to boost your work talk. On top of that, we’ve put together a batch of phrases that might come in handy too. Let’s get to work (pun intended)!

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Jobs in Spanish: Grammar

Before we jump into vocabulary, it’s important to grasp the grammar related to occupations in Spanish. The crucial thing to keep in mind is that, despite growing efforts to bring more inclusivity into the language, most Spanish speakers still adjust words like nouns and articles to the perceived gender of the person they’re referring to. 

Let’s take a quick look at these gender rules when it comes to job titles:

  • Masculine job titles: they usually end with -o, -r or -n. They must be accompanied by the masculine article el (the).

    Examples: el abogado (the lawyer), el arquitecto (the architect), el carpintero (the carpenter), el doctor (the doctor).
  • Feminine job titles: to transform them into feminine, all we have to do is replace the -o for -a and the article el for la. In case the word ends with a consonant (like -r or -n), we add -a at the end.

    Examples: la abogada, la arquitecta, la carpintera, la doctora.
  • Exceptions: some profession names don’t distinguish between genders. They usually end with -ista, -ante, -e or -a. So, how can we tell the gender? Just check the article or pay attention to the context!

    Examples: la/el artista (the artist), la/el cantante (the singer), la/el policía (the police officer), la/el periodista (the journalist).

Pro tip: if you’re talking about a woman and a man working in the same profession and want to use gender-inclusive language, refer to them separately rather than using the "generic masculine" plural form. For instance, instead of saying los abogados (the lawyers), you can say el y la abogada (the male lawyer and the female lawyer).

Occupations in Spanish: The gender-neutral approach

Would you like to take a gender-neutral approach to job titles in Spanish? How progressive of you! Here are some tips on how to do it:

  • Substitute the articles la and el with le, and los and las with les.
  • If the word ends in -a or -o, exchange that vowel for -e.
  • If the profession name doesn’t differentiate between masculine and feminine, half of the work is already done! All you do is to precede it with the article le or les.

Some examples: les abogades, le arquitecte, le carpintere, les policías, le periodista. If your industry circles don't understand the cutting-edge of inclusion, feel free to revert to the options recommended above.

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80 job names in Spanish

Without further ado, let’s talk vocabulary. We’ve gathered over 80 common profession names in Spanish that we’re sure will prove useful in everyday conversations:

Spanish occupation (masculine/feminine where applicable)English translation
1abogado/abogadalawyer
2actor/actrizactor/actress
3administrador/administradoraadministrator
4albañilconstruction worker
5analistaanalyst
6árbitro/árbitrareferee
7arquitecto/arquitectaarchitect
8artistaartist
9asistenteassistant
10atletaathlete
11azafatasteward/ess
12bailarín/bailarinadancer
13banquetero/banqueteracaterer
14bombero/bomberafireman/woman
15cajero/cajeracashier
16campesino/campesinafarmer
17cantantesinger
18carnicero/carnicerabutcher
19carpintero/carpinteracarpenter
20cartero/carterapostal worker
21casero/caseralandlord
22chefchef
23científico/científicascientist
24cirujano/cirujanasurgeon
25cocinero/cocineracook
26conductor/conductoradriver
27consultor/consultoraconsultant
28contador/contadoraaccountant 
29dentistadentist
30dependiente/depedientaclerk
31director/directoradirector
32diseñador/diseñadoradesigner
33dueño/dueñaowner
34ejecutivo/ejecutivaexecutive
35electricistaelectrician
36emprendedor/emprendedoraentrepreneur
37enfermero/enfermeranurse
38escritor/escritorawriter
39floristaflorist
40fotógrafo/fotógrafaphotographer
41futbolistasoccer player
42gerente/gerentamanager
43herrero/herrerablacksmith
44ingeniero/ingenieraengineer
45inversionistainvestor
46jardinero/jardineragardener
47jefe/jefaboss
48juez/juezajudge
49licenciado/licenciadaBA graduate
50maestro/maestrateacher
51marinero/marinerasailor
52mecánico/mecánicamechanic
53médico/médicadoctor
54mesero/meserawaiter/waitress
55ministro/ministraminister
56músico/músicamusician
57obrero/obreralaborer
58operador/operadoraoperator
59panadero/panaderabaker
60paramédico/paramédicaparamedic
61pastor/pastorapastor
62periodistajournalist
63pescador/pescadorafisher
64piloto/pilotapilot
65pintor/pintorapainter
66plomero/plomeraplumber
67policíapolice officer
68portero/porteradoorman/doorwoman
69presidente/presidentapresident
70profesor/profesoraprofessor
71programador/programadoracomputer programmer 
72psicólogo/psicólogapsychologist 
73psiquiatrapsychiatrist 
74químico/químicachemist
75ranchero/rancherarancher
76secretario/secretariasecretary
77taxistataxi driver
78técnico/técnicatechnician
79trabajador/trabajadora del hogarhousekeeper
80veterinario/veterinariaveterinarian

Note: professions without the alternative -a ending apply to both genders (el y la artista, el y la taxista, el y la psiquiatra……).

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Work talk in Spanish: Useful phrases

Now you know the names of plenty of jobs in Spanish. How about we throw in some common work-related phrases to sweeten the deal? Take a look at these helpful phrases to use when talking about your own job or someone else’s:

  • Me dedico a… [industry] la construcción, los restaurantes, la escritura (I’m in… construction, restaurants, writing).
  • Ella/él es… artista, cantante, inversionista (she/he is… an artist, a singer, an investor).
  • Trabajo tiempo completo (I work full time).
  • Trabajo medio tiempo (I work part time).
  • Trabajo lunes a viernes (I work Monday to Friday).
  • Ella/él trabaja los fines de semana (she/he works on weekends).
  • Yo trabajo en esa empresa (I work for that company).
  • Estoy empezando mi propio negocio (I’m starting my own business).
  • No me gusta/me gusta mi trabajo (I don’t like/I like my job).
  • Mi oficina se encuentra en… (My office is in…)
  • Tengo una junta/reunión (I have a meeting).
  • Trabajo como… [title] consultora, dentista, arquitecta (I’m a… consultant, dentist, architect).
  • Trabajo desde casa (I work from home).

Making small talk? Here are some questions to ask that might make things easier:

  • ¿En qué trabajas? (What do you do for work?)
  • ¿Dónde trabajas? (Where do you work?)
  • ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas trabajando ahí? (How long have you been working there?)
  • ¿Cuál es tu salario? (What’s your salary?)
  • ¿Quién es tu jefe/a? (Who’s your boss?)
  • ¿Cuál es tu horario? (What’s your work schedule?)
  • ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do?)
  • ¿Qué haces en tu trabajo? (What do you do at work?)
  • ¿De qué se trata el puesto? (What’s the position about?)

Water cooler talk

Knowing how to talk about professions and work in Spanish is an essential step in your language journey. Not only will it improve your workplace communication, but it’ll also be a great tool for chit-chatting and smoothing out those awkward conversation gaps when you’re just getting to know someone (we’re making a strong case with this one). Study up and you’ll be ready for water cooler talk in no time!

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Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.