Ever wanted to say “I’m a teacher” or “I work in a hospital” in Spanish? Today we’ll learn essential job and occupation words, plus simple phrases to introduce yourself and talk about where you work. You’ll practice as you go with quick exercises so it sticks.

Key job words you’ll use today

Below are common occupations you’ll hear in everyday life. Read the Spanish word, then the English meaning.

• el/la profesor(a) — teacher
• el/la médico(a) — doctor
• el/la enfermero(a) — nurse
• el/la ingeniero(a) — engineer
• el/la camarero(a) — waiter/waitress
• el/la cocinero(a) — cook/chef
• el/la policía — police officer
• el/la mecánico(a) — mechanic
• el/la abogado(a) — lawyer
• el/la vendedor(a) — salesperson
• el/la periodista — journalist
• el/la estudiante — student
• el/la músico(a) — musician
• el/la artista — artist
• el/la agricultor(a) — farmer
• el/la recepcionista — receptionist
• el/la conductor(a) — driver
• el/la programador(a) — programmer

Example sentences

These short examples show jobs in action. Notice how simple they are.

Grammar: Using "ser" for professions

To say what you are (your profession), use "ser" + the job word.

• Soy profesor. — I am a teacher.
• Ella es médica. — She is a doctor.
• Somos estudiantes. — We are students.

Important A1 pattern: Spanish often drops the article (a/an) with jobs after “ser.” You say “Soy profesor,” not “Soy un profesor.”

Yo profesor.

Ellos estudiantes.

Mi madre enfermera.

Grammar: "trabajar" to say where you work

Use "trabajar" (to work) + en + place.

• Trabajo en un hospital. — I work in a hospital.
• Él trabaja en una fábrica. — He works in a factory.
• ¿Dónde trabajas? — Where do you work?

“Trabajar” is a regular -ar verb. Here are the present forms you’ll use most at A1.

Yo en una oficina.

¿Dónde tú?

Mi hermano en una tienda.

Build longer sentences

You can add where and with who to make your sentence more complete.

• Soy ingeniero y trabajo en una empresa. — I am an engineer and I work at a company.
• Ella es periodista y trabaja con un equipo. — She is a journalist and works with a team.
• Somos músicos y trabajamos en un teatro. — We are musicians and we work in a theater.

Mini conversation practice

Put the lines in the right order to make a natural A1 conversation about jobs. After you answer, read the translation in the explanation below.

Possible translation:

• A: Hi, what do you do?
• B: I’m a cook.
• A: Where do you work?
• B: I work in a restaurant.

Quick quiz: choose the best Spanish sentence

Pick the correct Spanish option based on the English meaning.

Gender and forms: quick notes

Many job words have masculine and feminine forms.

• profesor/profesora — teacher
• ingeniero/ingeniera — engineer
• actor/actriz — actor/actress (note the irregular feminine)

Some are invariable (same form for all):

• el/la policía — police officer
• el/la periodista — journalist
• el/la recepcionista — receptionist

When referring to a woman, use the feminine when it exists: "Ella es médica." When the form doesn’t change (periodista), use the article to show gender if needed: "El periodista / La periodista."

Estoy doctor. → Soy médico. Use "ser" for identity/profession. Soy un profesor. → Soy profesor. Drop "un/una" after "ser" + profession unless you add an adjective.

Places to match with jobs

Here are places that often pair with occupations:

• el hospital — the hospital (médico, enfermera)
• la escuela — the school (profesor)
• la oficina — the office (abogado, ingeniero, recepcionista)
• el restaurante — the restaurant (cocinero, camarera)
• el taller — the workshop/garage (mecánico)
• la granja — the farm (agricultor)
• la empresa — the company/business (programador, vendedor)

Model sentences:

• Soy médico y trabajo en un hospital. — I am a doctor and I work in a hospital.
• Ella es abogada y trabaja en una oficina. — She is a lawyer and works in an office.
• Él es mecánico y trabaja en un taller. — He is a mechanic and works in a workshop.

Cultural notes

• In Spanish-speaking countries, people often ask "¿A qué te dedicas?" or "¿En qué trabajas?" — both mean “What do you do (for work)?” At A1, "¿Dónde trabajas?" (Where do you work?) is easier.
• It’s common to present yourself with "Soy + profession" in introductions. For formal situations, you can add “Mucho gusto” (Nice to meet you) or your company: "Soy recepcionista en [empresa]."
• In some regions, "médico" and "doctor" both appear, but "médico/a" is widely understood. "Policía" stays the same for masculine and feminine; the article shows gender (el/la policía).

Final practice: introduce yourself

Use this template to write your own mini introduction:

• Hola, me llamo [Name]. Soy [profession]. Trabajo en [place].

Example:

• Hola, me llamo Ana. Soy periodista. Trabajo en una oficina. — Hi, my name is Ana. I am a journalist. I work in an office.

Try one! Keep it simple and use "ser" for the job and "trabajar en" for the place.