Mi profesión

Talking about your profession

In Spanish, there are several ways to say what you do for a living:

"Soy + profession" (no article)

Unlike English, Spanish does not use an article before the profession:

Example: "Soy ingeniero." → "I am an engineer."

Example: "Soy enfermera." → "I am a nurse."

Note that many professions change ending for gender: -o (masculine) / -a (feminine):

• abogado / abogada (lawyer)
• enfermero / enfermera (nurse)

Some professions are invariable: el/la periodista (journalist).

"Trabajo de / Trabajo como"

To say what you work as:

• Trabajo de camarero. → I work as a waiter.
• Trabajo como ingeniera. → I work as an engineer.

Both mean the same, but trabajo como is slightly more formal.

Habitual present tense

To describe your daily work routine, use the present tense:

• Empiezo a las ocho. → I start at eight.
• Trabajo de lunes a viernes. → I work Monday to Friday.
• Mi jefe llega temprano. → My boss arrives early.

The present tense in Spanish covers both "I work" and "I am working" for habitual actions.