Part-time Jobs (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Part-time jobs and money
Core vocabulary
Understanding work-related vocabulary is essential for discussing part-time employment and managing money in Spanish-speaking contexts. This foundational vocabulary will help you navigate conversations about employment, wages, and workplace interactions.
Work and workplace vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el trabajo | work/job |
| el dinero | money |
| la hora | hour |
| el euro | euro |
| el restaurante | restaurant |
| el café | café |
| la comida rápida | fast food |
| la tienda | shop |
| la caja | till, checkout |
| el supermercado | supermarket |
| el/la compañero/a | colleague |
| el/la jefe/a | boss |
Essential work verbs
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ahorrar | to save |
| comprar | to buy |
| empezar | to start |
| ganar | to earn |
| gastar | to spend |
| pagar | to pay |
| terminar | to finish |
| trabajar | to work |
Example sentences with work vocabulary:
- Trabajo en un café los fines de semana. (I work in a café at weekends.)
- Mi compañera gana diez euros por hora. (My colleague earns ten euros per hour.)
- Necesito ahorrar dinero para mis estudios. (I need to save money for my studies.)
- El jefe paga cada viernes. (The boss pays every Friday.)
Grammar note: All the work verbs listed above are regular -ar verbs. They follow the standard conjugation pattern: trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajáis, trabajan.
Numbers for money and time
Mastering numbers is crucial for discussing wages, hours, and prices in Spanish. These numbers form the foundation for all monetary and time-related conversations.
Numbers 1-29
| Spanish | Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| uno | 1 | catorce | 14 | veintisiete | 27 |
| dos | 2 | quince | 15 | veintiocho | 28 |
| tres | 3 | dieciséis | 16 | veintinueve | 29 |
| cuatro | 4 | diecisiete | 17 | treinta | 30 |
| cinco | 5 | dieciocho | 18 | cuarenta | 40 |
| seis | 6 | diecinueve | 19 | cincuenta | 50 |
| siete | 7 | veinte | 20 | sesenta | 60 |
| ocho | 8 | veintiuno | 21 | setenta | 70 |
| nueve | 9 | veintidós | 22 | ochenta | 80 |
| diez | 10 | veintitrés | 23 | noventa | 90 |
| once | 11 | veinticuatro | 24 | cien | 100 |
| doce | 12 | veinticinco | 25 | mil | 1000 |
| trece | 13 | veintiséis | 26 | un millón | 1 million |
Hundreds pattern
For multiples of hundreds, add -cientos to the number:
- doscientos (200)
- trescientos (300)
- cuatrocientos (400)
Important exceptions: There are three irregular forms that don't follow the standard pattern:
- quinientos (500)
- setecientos (700)
- novecientos (900)
These must be memorised as they don't follow the regular -cientos pattern.
Example sentences with numbers:
- Trabajo veinte horas por semana. (I work twenty hours per week.)
- Gano quinientos euros al mes. (I earn five hundred euros per month.)
- El supermercado abre a las ocho. (The supermarket opens at eight.)
Phrase bank for work contexts
These are practical phrases you'll use when discussing part-time work in real conversations:
- ¿Tienes un trabajo los fines de semana? (Do you have a weekend job?)
- Trabajo en un restaurante. (I work in a restaurant.)
- Gano ocho euros por hora. (I earn eight euros per hour.)
- Empiezo a las nueve. (I start at nine.)
- Termino a las cinco. (I finish at five.)
- Necesito ganar dinero. (I need to earn money.)
- Mi jefe es muy simpático. (My boss is very nice.)
Translation practice
Translation Practice:
Spanish to English:
- Trabajo en una tienda de ropa los sábados.
- Mi compañera gana más dinero que yo.
English to Spanish: 3. I save twenty euros every week. 4. The café opens at seven in the morning.
Common errors and fixes
Common Error #1: Yo trabajo en el sábado Correct form: Trabajo los sábados (I work on Saturdays) Reason: Use "los" with days for regular/repeated actions.
Common Error #2: Gano cinco euro Correct form: Gano cinco euros Reason: Euro becomes plural (euros) with numbers greater than one.
Common Error #3: Empiezo trabajar a las ocho Correct form: Empiezo a trabajar a las ocho Reason: Use "a" before infinitive verbs after empezar.
Common Error #4: Tengo dieciseis años Correct form: Tengo dieciséis años Reason: Numbers 16, 22, 23, 26, 27 need accent marks.
Key Points to Remember:
- Use los + day for repeated actions (los sábados = on Saturdays)
- Numbers 16-29 have specific spelling patterns - watch for accents on dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés, veintiséis, veintisiete
- Work verbs trabajar, ganar, empezar are regular -ar verbs following standard conjugation
- Euro becomes euros in plural, and hora becomes horas
- Use por for rates: diez euros por hora (ten euros per hour)
Translation answers:
- I work in a clothes shop on Saturdays.
- My colleague earns more money than I do.
- Ahorro veinte euros cada semana.
- El café abre a las siete de la mañana.