Do you know how to say the names of professions in Spanish? Do you know the Spanish words for professions such as 'lawyer' or 'journalist'? Today, we will talk about job titles and professions in Spanish so get ready to see how to write and pronounce some of the most common occupations out there. However, before we jump into our list of professions in Spanish, let's see how to ask a very basic question when it comes to jobs. 

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"What do you do?" in Spanish

When we want to find out what someone does for a living, we usually use questions like: what do you do for work?, what do you do for a living? or simply, what do you do? There are also different options in Spanish:

¿A qué te dedicas?

What do you do?

Soy profesor de fotografía.

I'm a photography teacher.

Captions 12-13, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos

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Oye, y ¿en qué trabajas?

Hey, and what do you do [for a living]?

Estoy trabajando actualmente en una firma de abogados.

I'm working currently at a law firm.

Captions 82-83, Ricardo - La compañera de casa

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Ahora, ¿y qué haces tú?

Now, what do you do?

Bueno, yo soy mecánico.

Well, I'm a mechanic.

Captions 18-19, Encuentro Volkswagen en Adícora - Escarabajos en la playa

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You can also use that kind of question even if you are a student:

Bueno, Cristina, ¿tú a qué te dedicas?

Well, Cristina, what do you do for a living?

Estoy estudiando en Sevilla.

I am studying in Seville.

Captions 60-62, Clara y Cristina - Saludar

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Common professions in Spanish (masculine and feminine)

Now, let's take a look at some of the most common professions in Spanish. Remember to listen to the audioclips so you can hear how to pronounce the word. Also, keep in mind that the names of most professions change with the gender so make sure to take a look at the rules that we will mention about that.

Rule 1 - Professions ending in o and a

When the masculine noun ends in o, the feminine noun ends in a. There are several professions in Spanish that fall into this group:

1. El abogado | La abogada (The lawyer)

Es un abogado joven que recién se está metiendo en la política.

He's a young lawyer who has recently been getting involved in politics.

Caption 57, Muñeca Brava - 45 El secreto

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2. El arquitecto | La arquitecta (The architect)

Bueno, yo soy Leif, eh... soy arquitecto y llevo trabajando en Londres cuatro años.

Well, I am Leif, um... I am an architect and have been working in London for four years.

Captions 2-3, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte

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3. El cajero | La cajera (The cashier)

4. El carpintero | La carpintera (The carpenter)

5. El ingeniero | La ingeniera (The engineer)6

6. El psicólogo | La psicóloga (The psychologist)

Rule 2 - Professions ending in a consonant

When the noun ends in a consonant, you just need to add an a at the end to form the feminine noun.

7. El administrador | La administradora (The administrator)

Pero si quiere, yo con mucho gusto hablo con el administrador para que nos ayude.

But if you want, I'll gladly talk to the administrator so he can help us.

Captions 16-17, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3

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8. El director | La directora (The director)

9. El editor | La editora (The editor)

10. El doctor | La doctora (The doctor)

Consultorio de la doctora Castaño, buenos días.

Doctor Castaño's office, good morning.

Caption 5, Cita médica - La cita médica de Cleer

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If you take the previous 3 nouns, you can see that there are various nouns ending in 'or' that are identical in English and Spanish.

11. El escritor | La escritora (The writer)

12. El profesor | La profesora (The teacher)

Yo soy profesora de español.

I am a Spanish teacher.

Caption 12, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias

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Rule 3 - Professions ending in -ista, -ia and -e

There are also some nouns that end in -ista, -ia and -e, that stay them same for both male and female. However, in order to make the distinction, you need to change the article accordingly. Let's see some examples:

13. El estudiante | La estudiante (The student)

14. El dentista | la dentista (The dentist)

Por ejemplo: el estudiante, la estudiante. El dentista, la dentista.

For example: the male student, the female student. The male dentist, the female dentist.

Captions 32-33, Isabel - El Género Gramatical - Masculino y Femenino

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15. El periodista | La periodista (The journalist)

"El periodista escribe el artículo para el periódico".

"The journalist writes the article for the newspaper."

Caption 22, Lecciones con Carolina La voz pasiva - Part 3

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List of professions and occupations in English and Spanish

Before we go, let's take a look at the following list of professions in Spanish so you can have a handy reference for this topic.

1. The administrator: El administrador | La administradora

2. The architect: El arquitecto | La arquitecta

3. The cashier: El cajero | La cajera

4. The carpenter: El carpintero | La carpintera

5. The dentist: El dentista | la dentista

6. The director: El director | La directora

7. The doctor: El doctor | La doctora

8. The editor: El editor | La editora

9. The engineer: El ingeniero | La ingeniera

10. The journalist: El periodista | La periodista

11. The lawyer: El abogado | La abogada

12. The psychologist: El psicólogo | La psicóloga

13. The student: El estudiante | La estudiante

14. The teacher: El profesor | La profesora

15. The writer: El escritor | La escritora  

That's it for today. We know there are hundreds of more occupations and job titles out there. However, we hope this lesson will help you to remember the names of some of the most well-known professions in Spanish. That being said, we would like to invite you to find 10 professions more in our library of videos, and don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.