Career is a big topic of conversation whether you are studying, working, or looking for your dream job. If you are young, you may be asked what you want to do when you grow up. In this lesson, we will show you a vocabulary list of jobs, occupations, and professions in Spanish. Many job titles may sound familiar since many of them are English cognates.
List of jobs in Spanish
Here comes a list of most common jobs in Spanish.
Note that Spanish profession nouns often change according to the gender of the person they refer to.
Profession nouns that end in –o and –a
Some profession nouns have masculine forms that end in –o. And if you want to refer to a female, you just need to change the –o to –a. Names of jobs that follow this rule will be listed out below:
- el medico - doctor
- el ingeniero - engineer
- el cirujano - surgeon
- el maestro - teacher
- el arquitecto - architect
- el arqueólogo - archaeologist
- el abogado - lawyer
- el peluquero - stylist
- el biólogo - biologist
- el carnicero - butcher
- el carpintero - carpenter
- el payaso - clown
- el farmacéutico - pharmacologist
- el químico - chemist
- el bomber - fireman
- el jardinero - gardener
- el geólogo - geologist
- el secretario - secretary
- el mecánico - mechanic
- el músico - musician
- el enfermero - nurse
- el fotógrafo - photographer
- el psicólogo - psychologist
- el científico - scientist
- el camarero - waiter
Examples:
Sandra es médica y Dan es músico - Sandra is a doctor and Dan is a musician.
Exceptions
Some words don’t follow this rule. Their masculine and feminine forms stay the same. Only the article changes to match the gender of the person.
- el piloto - la piloto - pilot
- el modelo - la modelo – model
See gender of nouns in Spanish for more information!
Job titles that end in a consonant
To profession nouns with their masculine forms ending in a consonant, you just need to add –a to the end of the masculine form to change it to feminine. Words that follow this rule will be listed out below:
- el professor - teacher
- el bailarín - dancer
- el administrador - administrator
- el director - director
- el agricultor - farmer
- el pescador - fisher
- el investigator - investigator
- el vendedor - salesperson
- el traductor - translator
- el escritor – writer
You may want to know how to say human body parts in Spanish
In some cases, the same profession noun is used to refer to a man as to a woman. Only the article changes.
If a profession noun ends in -ista, -ia, –e, -ta, or –a
- el dentist - la dentist - dentist
- el policía - la policía - police officer
- el contable - accountant
- el poeta - poet
- el atleta - athlete
- el guardia - guard
- el asistente de vuelo - flight attendant
- el intérprete - interpreter
- el cantante - singer
- el estudiante - student
- el artista - artist
- el oficinista - office worker
- el electricista - electrician
- el florist - florist
- el periodista - journalist
- el recepcionista - receptionist
- el taxista - taxi driver
List of jobs and professions in Spanish
Exceptions:
- el dependiente - la dependienta - sales clerk
- el alcalde - la alcaldesa - mayor
It is pretty hard to remember the above list of jobs in Spanish. You should jot them down and revise regularly. Don't forget to follow our site to get english to spanish translation and improve your Spanish and English vocabulary and grammar.