Professions (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Professions
Learning about professions in Spanish helps you talk about careers and future plans. This topic covers essential vocabulary for jobs and the conditional tense to express career aspirations.
Key vocabulary - professions
The following table contains over 40 essential profession names. Pay attention to how the masculine and feminine forms change - some professions have completely different words for each gender, while others only change the article.
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| el abogado / la abogada | lawyer | el médico / la médica | doctor |
| el albañil | brick layer, builder | el/la modelo | model |
| el ama de casa | housewife | la mujer de negocios | businesswoman |
| el arquitecto / la arquitecta | architect | el/la músico | musician |
| el auxiliar de vuelo | flight attendant | el panadero | baker |
| la azafata | air hostess | el peluquero / la peluquera | hairdresser |
| el bombero | fireman | el/la periodista | journalist |
| el cajero | cashier | el pescador / la pescadora | fisherman |
| el camarero / la camarera | waiter/waitress | el pintor / la pintora | painter |
| el carnicero / la carnicera | butcher | el policía / la policía | police officer |
| el carpintero | carpenter | el profesor / la profesora | teacher |
| el cartero | postman | el propietario / la propietaria | owner |
| el/la contable | accountant | el secretario / la secretaria | secretary |
| el cocinero / la cocinera | cook | el soldado | soldier |
| el/la dependiente | shop assistant | el/la dentista | dentist |
| el director / la directora | director/principal | el/la electricista | electrician |
| el dueño / la dueña | owner | el empleado / la empleada | employee |
| el enfermero / la enfermera | nurse | el fotógrafo / la fotógrafa | photographer |
| el farmacéutico / la farmacéutica | pharmacist | el gerente | manager |
| el granjero / la granjera | farmer | el hombre de negocios | businessman |
| el ingeniero / la ingeniera | engineer | el jardinero / la jardinera | gardener |
| el jefe / la jefa | boss | el joyero / la joyera | jeweller |
| el maestro / la maestra | teacher (primary) | el mecánico / la mecánica | mechanic |
Notice how some professions appear in both lists with slight variations. For example, both "el médico/la médica" and "el/la médico" are acceptable, though the first form is more traditional. Similarly, "el profesor/la profesora" (secondary/university teacher) differs from "el maestro/la maestra" (primary school teacher).
Understanding gender in professions
Spanish professions follow different patterns for masculine and feminine forms. Understanding these patterns will help you use the correct form when speaking about people's careers.
Pattern 1: Word changes completely The profession name itself changes between masculine and feminine forms:
- el abogado → la abogada (lawyer)
- el enfermero → la enfermera (nurse)
- el cocinero → la cocinera (cook)
Pattern 2: Only the article changes The profession word stays the same, only the article (el/la) changes:
- el electricista → la electricista (electrician)
- el dentista → la dentista (dentist)
- el periodista → la periodista (journalist)
Example sentences with professions
Here are practical examples showing how to use profession vocabulary in context. Notice the natural flow and common sentence structures used when discussing careers.
Using Professions in Context
Mi hermano es médico en un hospital de Madrid.
My brother is a doctor in a hospital in Madrid.
La arquitecta diseña casas modernas.
The architect designs modern houses.
Los mecánicos reparan coches en el garaje.
The mechanics repair cars in the garage.
¿Trabajas como profesora en una escuela primaria?
Do you work as a teacher in a primary school?
Grammar note: Notice that when stating someone's profession, Spanish often omits the indefinite article (un/una). We say "Soy médico" (I'm a doctor) rather than "Soy un médico."
Grammar focus - the conditional tense
The conditional tense expresses what would happen or what you would like to do. It's perfect for talking about future career plans and aspirations. This tense is essential when discussing hypothetical situations or polite requests about career preferences.
Formation
The conditional uses the same stem as the future tense, but adds different endings. The formation pattern is:
Regular verb formation: infinitive + conditional endings
| Person | Ending | trabajar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -ía | trabajaría | comería | viviría |
| tú | -ías | trabajarías | comerías | vivirías |
| él/ella/usted | -ía | trabajaría | comería | viviría |
| nosotros/as | -íamos | trabajaríamos | comeríamos | viviríamos |
| vosotros/as | -íais | trabajaríais | comeríais | viviríais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -ían | trabajarían | comerían | vivirían |
Irregular stems
Some verbs have irregular stems in the conditional (same as future tense). These are essential verbs that appear frequently when discussing career plans:
| Verb | Stem | Conditional |
|---|---|---|
| hacer | har- | haría |
| poder | podr- | podría |
| tener | tendr- | tendría |
| venir | vendr- | vendría |
| decir | dir- | diría |
| salir | saldr- | saldría |
Remember that these irregular stems are the same for both future and conditional tenses. Once you learn them for one tense, you know them for both!
Example sentences with conditional
These examples show how the conditional tense naturally combines with profession vocabulary to express career aspirations and hypothetical situations.
Conditional Tense in Career Contexts
Me gustaría ser veterinario porque me encantan los animales.
I would like to be a vet because I love animals.
Trabajaríamos en una oficina en el centro de la ciudad.
We would work in an office in the city centre.
¿Te gustaría ser profesor de español?
Would you like to be a Spanish teacher?
Mi hermana podría ser una excelente médica.
My sister could be an excellent doctor.
Useful phrases for talking about careers
These phrases are essential for expressing career preferences and plans. Practice using them with different professions from the vocabulary list.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me gustaría ser... | I would like to be... |
| Quiero trabajar como... | I want to work as... |
| Mi trabajo ideal sería... | My ideal job would be... |
| Estudiaría para ser... | I would study to be... |
| Trabajaría en... | I would work in/at... |
The phrase "Me gustaría ser..." is particularly useful because it's polite and commonly used in Spanish to express career aspirations without sounding too definitive or demanding.
Translation practice
Practice translating these sentences to reinforce both profession vocabulary and conditional tense usage.
Translation Exercise
Spanish to English:
- Me gustaría ser enfermera en un hospital grande.
- Los ingenieros trabajarían en proyectos importantes.
English to Spanish:
- I would like to be a teacher.
- She could work as a lawyer.
Common errors and fixes
These are frequent mistakes that Spanish learners make when discussing professions. Understanding these errors will help you avoid them in your own speech and writing.
Error: Soy una doctora ❌
Fix: Soy doctora ✅
Reason: Spanish typically omits the indefinite article when stating professions.
Error: El electricisto ❌
Fix: El electricista ✅
Reason: Some professions don't change form, only the article changes (el/la electricista).
Error: Me gustaria ser ❌
Fix: Me gustaría ser ✅
Reason: Don't forget the accent on conditional endings (-ía, -ías, etc.).
Error: Ella es un abogado ❌
Fix: Ella es abogada ✅
Reason: Use the feminine form for female professionals when the profession has different masculine/feminine forms.
Translation answers
Translation Solutions
Spanish to English:
- I would like to be a nurse in a big hospital.
- The engineers would work on important projects.
English to Spanish:
- Me gustaría ser profesor/a.
- Podría trabajar como abogada.
Key Points to Remember:
- Many professions have different masculine and feminine forms (abogado/abogada), while others only change the article (el/la dentista)
- The conditional tense is formed using the future stem + imperfect endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían)
- Use "Me gustaría ser..." to express career aspirations politely
- Spanish often omits the indefinite article when stating professions (Soy médico, not Soy un médico)
- Remember to put accents on all conditional tense endings to ensure correct pronunciation and spelling