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In our previous lesson we introduced the vocabulary for jobs and occupations in Spanish through several examples. However we have not explored how this vocabulary could be used in real conversations yet and what other words or phrases in the language might help in making the talk a little more natural. All of this will be covered in this lesson. Let’s start…
Talking about jobs in Spanish - Speaking of work
To review a little, the basic way to ask what someone does is with ¿En què trabajas? And ¿Qué haces? It is easy to notice that some job names are written very similarly in both languages, which makes it easier to remember them. Our first example will be using the simple past of verbs in Spanish. For this tense we should use a tilde over the last vowel for most verbs, e.g. “estudié” (I studied) and “viví” (I lived). Also, when narrating something it is important to use sequencing words such as “primero” (first), “luego” (then), “después”(later) and so on. Last, remember that adjectives and “me gusta” (I like) might be useful to say what you think about an specific occupation.
Describing my job - my job My job describing Someone asked me yesterday what you work? When I was little I wanted to be an architect because I like to draw, but I'm not very good at math. Then I wanted to be a fireman and then wanted to be an entrepreneur. After much thought, I studied to be a doctor. Being a doctor requires a lot of responsibility, but I like my job. It is interesting and at the same time I can help others. Read translation My job Someone Asked me yesterday, what do you do? When I was little I wanted to be an architect because i like to draw, but I'm not very good at math. Then I wanted to be a fireman and then a wanted to be an entrepreneur. After much thought, I Studied to be a doctor. Being a doctor requires a lot of responsibility, but I like my job. It is interesting and at the same time I can help others.
Listening activity: Talking about jobs and professions in Spanish
Listen to a conversation about jobs and occupations in Spanish between two girls. It includes some of the things we have discussed in this lesson. Take notes of the things you consider relevant in the conversation and then solve the interactive quiz about it. Press PLAY to listen to the Spanish audio.
Useful Expressions: I want to be ... when I grow up I want to be Means ... when I grow up That sounds interesting Means That sounds interesting
Listening quiz: ¿A qué te dedicas? Please wait while the activity loads. If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled. If loading fails, click here to try again This short quiz will test if you understood the content of the conversation. Read each question carefully and answer according to the information provided in the recording and then choose the best answer. Press “START” when you are ready. Start Congratulations - you have completed Listening quiz: ¿A qué te dedicas?.You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.We recommend you to %%RATING%% Your answers are highlighted below. Question 1 ¿Qué quiere ser Marta cuando crezca? -> What does Marta want to be when she grows up? A Marta quiere ser Contadora cuando crezca. B Marta quiere ser Ingeniera cuando crezca. C Marta quiere ser Doctora cuando crezca. Question 1 Explanation: She says that “Ella quiere ser contadora” so the firstchoice is the right answer. This type of sentence is that children most of the time, but even if we are not children we always have “sueños” (dreams). You could use this structure to create your own sentence to say something like “Yo quiero ser Spanish profession cuando crezca”. “Crezca” comes from the verb “crecer” (to grow up) Question 2 ¿A qué se dedica el papá de Marta? -> What does Marta's dad do? A Él es Ingeniero de Sistemas B Él es Ingeniero civil C Él es bombero. Question 2 Explanation: She says “Él es Ingeniero civil” (He is a Civil Engineer). To ask for other people´s occupations we usually use the structures: “¿A qué se dedica Subject?” and “¿En qué trabaja Subject?”. Some examples are: “¿A qué se dedica Carlos?” and “¿En qué trabaja tu papá?”. If we are asking about several people, then “dedica” and “trabaja” change to “dedican” and “trabajan”. Question 3 ¿En dónde trabaja el papá de Marta? -> Where does Marta's dad work? A Él trabaja en un restaurante B ÉlHe works in a company C He works in a construction company Question 3 Explanation: In this case the right answer Follows the structure: [Subject works one / one (sometimes) place] Because the question is asking "Where" (where). There many ways to say what we do know so That These structures are flexible. Other jobs following sentences acerca de esta structure are: "Ana works in a insitución" and "We work in the White House." Question 4 What does the mother Lidia? -> What does Lidia's mom do? A She is Dr. B She is a nurse C She is an engineer. Question 4 Explanation: Yes, Lidia's mother is a doctor. This time we Asked "What does ...?" But it is possible to ask "What does ...?". The answer is a very single sentence using the verb "to be" plus an occupation. Question 5 What Lidia's father do? -> What does Lidia's father do? A He is systems engineer B He is a photographer C He's a cop. Question 5 Explanation: The second choice is theright answer according to the conversation. As you can see some jobs like “fotógrafo” are very similar to the ones in English. In the case of engineering (ingeniería), we always say “ingeniero type” or just “ingeniero”, for example: “Ellos son ingenieros civiles” and “Ella es ingeniera ambiental”. It actually varies a little with every engineering. Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results There are 5 questions to complete. ← List → Return Shaded items are complete. 1 2 3 4 5 End Return You have completed questions question Your score is Correct Wrong Partial-Credit You have not finished your quiz. If you leave this page, your progress will be lost. Correct Answer You Selected Not Attempted Final Score on Quiz Attempted Questions Correct Attempted Questions Wrong Questions Not Attempted Total Questions on Quiz Question Details Results Date Score Hint Time allowed minutes seconds Time used Answer Choice(s)Selected Question Text All done review this lesson… continue studying this lesson! review this lesson and find more important points. Studying a lesson related to this topic may be useful too. continue learning! Good work! keep up the good work! Perfect!
Spanish Practice: What do you do in Spanish? – ¿Qué haces?
A. Read the following paragraph in Spanish about someone’s occupation and then complete the quiz. Mi nombre es Ana. Yo tengo 30 años. Yo trabajo como enfermera en un hospital local, así que tengo que levantarme de mañana, hacer algunas actividades en mi casa y luego ir a trabajar. Me gusta ser enfermera porque puedo cuidar de otras personas. Mi esposo es contador en una empresa y mis hijos son estudiantes. Somos una familia unida y feliz.
¿En qué trabajas? Please wait while the activity loads. If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled. If loading fails, click here to try again This is a very simple reading test aimed to check how much you understood from the previous text. Press "START" to begin the test. Start Congratulations - you have completed ¿En qué trabajas?.You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.We recommend you to %%RATING%% Your answers are highlighted below. Question 1 ¿Cuántos años tiene Ana? A Ella tiene 30 años B Ella tiene 35 años C Ella tiene 25 años Question 2 ¿A qué se dedica Ana? A Ella es enfermera B Ella es doctora C Ella es cirujana. Question 3 ¿Por qué a Ana le gusta su ocupación? A Porque cuida de otras personas B Porque gana bastante dinero C Porque es un trabajo fácil. Question 4 ¿Qué hace el esposo de Ana? A Él es carpintero B Él es contador C Él es conductor. Question 5 ¿Qué hacen suschildren? A They are attorneys B They are students C They are firefighters. Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items You have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results There are five questions to complete. List ← → Return Shaded items are complete. 1 2 3 4 May End Return You have completed questions question Your score is Correct Wrong Partial-Credit You have not finished your quiz. If you leave this page, your progress will be lost. Correct Answer You Selected Not Attempted Final Score on Quiz Attempted Questions Correct Attempted Questions Wrong Questions Not Attempted Total Questions on Quiz Question Details Results Date Score Hint Time allowed minutes seconds Time used Answer Choice (s) Selected Question Text All done Review this lesson ... continue esta studying lesson! Review this lesson and find more Important points. Studying a lesson related to this topic May be useful too. continue learning! Good work! keep up the good work! Perfect!
B. Write a paragraph similar to the one before saying what you do in Spanish (lo que tú haces) and the things that you like and dislike about your job (lo que te gusta sobre tu trabajo).
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