👨‍⚕️ Jobs & Professions 

⏱ 14 min read

In this lesson you'll learn common English jobs and professions, useful workplace vocabulary, and everyday words you can use when talking about work. Each English word includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Common Jobs & Professions

👨‍🏫 Teacher
a person who teaches students
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Profesor / Profesora
🇫🇷 French: Professeur
🇩🇪 German: Lehrer / Lehrerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Insegnante
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Professor / Professora
👨‍⚕️ Doctor
a person who treats sick people
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Médico / Médica
🇫🇷 French: Médecin
🇩🇪 German: Arzt / Ärztin
🇮🇹 Italian: Medico / Medica
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Médico / Médica
👩‍⚕️ Nurse
a person who cares for patients
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Enfermero / Enfermera
🇫🇷 French: Infirmier / Infirmière
🇩🇪 German: Krankenpfleger / Krankenschwester
🇮🇹 Italian: Infermiere
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Enfermeiro / Enfermeira
👮 Police officer
a person who keeps people safe and follows the law
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Policía
🇫🇷 French: Policier / Policière
🇩🇪 German: Polizist / Polizistin
🇮🇹 Italian: Poliziotto / Poliziotta
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Policial
👨‍🍳 Cook / Chef
a person who prepares food
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cocinero / Cocinera
🇫🇷 French: Cuisinier / Chef
🇩🇪 German: Koch / Köchin
🇮🇹 Italian: Cuoco / Cuoca
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cozinheiro / Cozinheira
💻 Programmer
a person who writes computer code
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Programador / Programadora
🇫🇷 French: Programmeur / Programmeuse
🇩🇪 German: Programmierer / Programmiererin
🇮🇹 Italian: Programmatore / Programmatrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Programador / Programadora
🚗 Driver
a person who drives a car, bus, or truck
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Conductor / Conductora
🇫🇷 French: Conducteur / Conductrice
🇩🇪 German: Fahrer / Fahrerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Autista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Motorista
👷 Engineer
a person who designs machines, buildings, or systems
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ingeniero / Ingeniera
🇫🇷 French: Ingénieur / Ingénieure
🇩🇪 German: Ingenieur / Ingenieurin
🇮🇹 Italian: Ingegnere
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Engenheiro / Engenheira
🚒 Firefighter
a person who puts out fires
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Bombero / Bombera
🇫🇷 French: Pompier / Pompière
🇩🇪 German: Feuerwehrmann / Feuerwehrfrau
🇮🇹 Italian: Pompiere
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bombeiro / Bombeira
⚖️ Lawyer
a person who works with the law
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Abogado / Abogada
🇫🇷 French: Avocat / Avocate
🇩🇪 German: Anwalt / Anwältin
🇮🇹 Italian: Avvocato / Avvocata
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Advogado / Advogada
🦷 Dentist
a doctor for teeth
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Dentista
🇫🇷 French: Dentiste
🇩🇪 German: Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin
🇮🇹 Italian: Dentista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Dentista
📷 Photographer
a person who takes photos
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Fotógrafo / Fotógrafa
🇫🇷 French: Photographe
🇩🇪 German: Fotograf / Fotografin
🇮🇹 Italian: Fotografo / Fotografa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fotógrafo / Fotógrafa

🟡 More Jobs & Professions

🔬 Scientist
a person who studies science
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Científico / Científica
🇫🇷 French: Scientifique
🇩🇪 German: Wissenschaftler / Wissenschaftlerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Scienziato / Scienziata
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cientista
🎨 Artist
a person who makes art
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Artista
🇫🇷 French: Artiste
🇩🇪 German: Künstler / Künstlerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Artista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Artista
🎵 Musician
a person who plays or writes music
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Músico / Música
🇫🇷 French: Musicien / Musicienne
🇩🇪 German: Musiker / Musikerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Musicista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Músico / Música
📰 Journalist
a person who writes or reports the news
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Periodista
🇫🇷 French: Journaliste
🇩🇪 German: Journalist / Journalistin
🇮🇹 Italian: Giornalista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jornalista
✍️ Writer
a person who writes books or articles
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Escritor / Escritora
🇫🇷 French: Écrivain / Écrivaine
🇩🇪 German: Schriftsteller / Schriftstellerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Scrittore / Scrittrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Escritor / Escritora
🏗️ Architect
a person who designs buildings
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Arquitecto / Arquitecta
🇫🇷 French: Architecte
🇩🇪 German: Architekt / Architektin
🇮🇹 Italian: Architetto / Architetta
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Arquiteto / Arquiteta
🔧 Mechanic
a person who repairs cars or machines
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mecánico / Mecánica
🇫🇷 French: Mécanicien / Mécanicienne
🇩🇪 German: Mechaniker / Mechanikerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Meccanico / Meccanica
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mecânico / Mecânica
💼 Accountant
a person who works with money and numbers
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Contador / Contadora
🇫🇷 French: Comptable
🇩🇪 German: Buchhalter / Buchhalterin
🇮🇹 Italian: Contabile
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Contador / Contadora
🛍️ Salesperson
a person who sells things
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Vendedor / Vendedora
🇫🇷 French: Vendeur / Vendeuse
🇩🇪 German: Verkäufer / Verkäuferin
🇮🇹 Italian: Venditore / Venditrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vendedor / Vendedora
🍽️ Waiter / Waitress
a person who serves food in a restaurant
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Camarero / Camarera
🇫🇷 French: Serveur / Serveuse
🇩🇪 German: Kellner / Kellnerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Cameriere / Cameriera
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Garçom / Garçonete
Regional terms such as mesero / mesera are also common in Spanish.
✈️ Pilot
a person who flies a plane
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Piloto / Pilota
🇫🇷 French: Pilote
🇩🇪 German: Pilot / Pilotin
🇮🇹 Italian: Pilota
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Piloto / Pilota
🌾 Farmer
a person who grows food or raises animals
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Agricultor / Agricultora
🇫🇷 French: Agriculteur / Agricultrice
🇩🇪 German: Landwirt / Landwirtin
🇮🇹 Italian: Agricoltore / Agricoltrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Agricultor / Agricultora

💼 Workplace Vocabulary

💼 Job / Work
what you do to earn money
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Trabajo
🇫🇷 French: Travail
🇩🇪 German: Arbeit
🇮🇹 Italian: Lavoro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trabalho
🏢 Office
a room or building where people work at desks
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Oficina
🇫🇷 French: Bureau
🇩🇪 German: Büro
🇮🇹 Italian: Ufficio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Escritório
🏭 Company
a business that employs people
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Empresa
🇫🇷 French: Entreprise
🇩🇪 German: Unternehmen
🇮🇹 Italian: Azienda
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Empresa
💰 Salary
the money you get for your job
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Salario
🇫🇷 French: Salaire
🇩🇪 German: Gehalt
🇮🇹 Italian: Stipendio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Salário
📅 Schedule
the times you work
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Horario
🇫🇷 French: Horaire
🇩🇪 German: Zeitplan
🇮🇹 Italian: Orario
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Horário
🧑‍💼 Boss
the person in charge at work
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jefe / Jefa
🇫🇷 French: Patron / Patronne
🇩🇪 German: Chef / Chefin
🇮🇹 Italian: Capo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Chefe
👥 Coworker
a person who works with you
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Compañero / Compañera de trabajo
🇫🇷 French: Collègue
🇩🇪 German: Kollege / Kollegin
🇮🇹 Italian: Collega
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Colega de trabalho
🛠️ Worker
a person who does a job
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Trabajador / Trabajadora
🇫🇷 French: Travailleur / Travailleuse
🇩🇪 German: Arbeiter / Arbeiterin
🇮🇹 Italian: Lavoratore / Lavoratrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trabalhador / Trabalhadora
🤝 Client
a person who pays for a service
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cliente
🇫🇷 French: Client
🇩🇪 German: Kunde / Kundin
🇮🇹 Italian: Cliente
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cliente
📄 Contract
a written work agreement
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Contrato
🇫🇷 French: Contrat
🇩🇪 German: Vertrag
🇮🇹 Italian: Contratto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Contrato
📊 Project
a piece of work with a goal
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Proyecto
🇫🇷 French: Projet
🇩🇪 German: Projekt
🇮🇹 Italian: Progetto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Projeto
📧 Email
an electronic message
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Correo electrónico
🇫🇷 French: E-mail
🇩🇪 German: E-Mail
🇮🇹 Italian: Email
🇵🇹 Portuguese: E-mail

👕 Job Titles in English

English job titles usually do not change for men and women.

Teacher
Doctor
Engineer

The same job title is normally used regardless of gender.
Some English job titles were once gender-specific, but today neutral forms are preferred.

Police officer (not policeman / policewoman)
Firefighter (not fireman)
Server or Waiter / Waitress depending on the region.

🗣️ Talking About Your Job

💡 English uses the verb to be together with a / an before most singular professions.
say “I am a…” + job
I'm a teacher.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Soy profesor.
🇫🇷 Je suis professeur.
🇩🇪 Ich bin Lehrer.
🇮🇹 Sono insegnante.
🇵🇹 Sou professor.
💡 Use an before professions beginning with a vowel sound.
say “an engineer,” not “a engineer”
I'm an engineer.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Soy ingeniero / ingeniera.
🇫🇷 Je suis ingénieur.
🇩🇪 Ich bin Ingenieur.
🇮🇹 Sono ingegnere.
🇵🇹 Sou engenheiro.
🌎 Job titles can vary between English-speaking countries. For example, attorney and lawyer, or vacation and holiday, may differ depending on the region.

💬 Useful Work & Job Phrases

💼 What do you do for a living?
what is your job?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿A qué te dedicas?
🇫🇷 French: Que faites-vous dans la vie ?
🇩🇪 German: Was machen Sie beruflich?
🇮🇹 Italian: Che lavoro fai?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O que você faz da vida?
🏢 Where do you work?
in what place is your job?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde trabajas?
🇫🇷 French: Où travaillez-vous ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo arbeiten Sie?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dove lavori?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde você trabalha?
💻 I work from home.
my job is in my house
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Trabajo desde casa.
🇫🇷 French: Je travaille à domicile.
🇩🇪 German: Ich arbeite von zu Hause aus.
🇮🇹 Italian: Lavoro da casa.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trabalho de casa.
📅 I have an important meeting today.
today I must talk with people at work
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hoy tengo una reunión importante.
🇫🇷 French: J'ai une réunion importante aujourd'hui.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe heute ein wichtiges Meeting.
🇮🇹 Italian: Oggi ho una riunione importante.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tenho uma reunião importante hoje.

💬 Everyday Work Conversations

Meeting someone new
asking about someone’s job
A: What do you do for a living?
B: I'm an architect. I design houses and buildings.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿A qué te dedicas?
🇪🇸 B: Soy arquitecta. Diseño casas y edificios.

🇫🇷 A: Que faites-vous dans la vie ?
🇫🇷 B: Je suis architecte. Je conçois des maisons et des bâtiments.

🇩🇪 A: Was machen Sie beruflich?
🇩🇪 B: Ich bin Architekt. Ich entwerfe Häuser und Gebäude.

🇮🇹 A: Che lavoro fai?
🇮🇹 B: Sono architetto. Progetto case ed edifici.

🇵🇹 A: O que você faz da vida?
🇵🇹 B: Sou arquiteto. Projeto casas e edifícios.
Talking about the workplace
asking if someone works in an office
A: Do you work in an office?
B: No, I work from home three days a week.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Trabajas en una oficina?
🇪🇸 B: No, trabajo desde casa tres días a la semana.

🇫🇷 A: Travaillez-vous dans un bureau ?
🇫🇷 B: Non, je travaille à domicile trois jours par semaine.

🇩🇪 A: Arbeiten Sie in einem Büro?
🇩🇪 B: Nein, ich arbeite drei Tage pro Woche von zu Hause aus.

🇮🇹 A: Lavori in un ufficio?
🇮🇹 B: No, lavoro da casa tre giorni alla settimana.

🇵🇹 A: Você trabalha em um escritório?
🇵🇹 B: Não, trabalho de casa três dias por semana.

📝 Example Sentences

🔬 My neighbor is a scientist and works in a laboratory.
the neighbor studies science in a lab
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi vecina es científica y trabaja en un laboratorio.
🇫🇷 French: Ma voisine est scientifique et travaille dans un laboratoire.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Nachbarin ist Wissenschaftlerin und arbeitet in einem Labor.
🇮🇹 Italian: La mia vicina è una scienziata e lavora in un laboratorio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Minha vizinha é cientista e trabalha em um laboratório.
📷 The photographer travels around the city looking for interesting places.
the photographer looks for good photos in the city
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El fotógrafo viaja por la ciudad buscando lugares interesantes.
🇫🇷 French: Le photographe parcourt la ville à la recherche d'endroits intéressants.
🇩🇪 German: Der Fotograf reist durch die Stadt und sucht interessante Orte.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il fotografo gira per la città cercando luoghi interessanti.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O fotógrafo percorre a cidade procurando lugares interessantes.
🔧 The mechanic is repairing my brother's car.
the mechanic is fixing the car
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La mecánica está reparando el coche de mi hermano.
🇫🇷 French: La mécanicienne répare la voiture de mon frère.
🇩🇪 German: Die Mechanikerin repariert das Auto meines Bruders.
🇮🇹 Italian: La meccanica sta riparando l'auto di mio fratello.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A mecânica está consertando o carro do meu irmão.
✍️ My grandfather was a writer and still keeps his old notebooks.
grandpa used to write and still has his notebooks
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi abuelo fue escritor y todavía guarda sus viejos cuadernos.
🇫🇷 French: Mon grand-père était écrivain et garde encore ses vieux carnets.
🇩🇪 German: Mein Großvater war Schriftsteller und bewahrt noch immer seine alten Notizbücher auf.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mio nonno era uno scrittore e conserva ancora i suoi vecchi quaderni.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Meu avô foi escritor e ainda guarda seus cadernos antigos.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the word or phrase that fits best. Do not pick a job that is only close in meaning.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%