Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to work" in Spanish
"To work" in Spanish is trabajar, pronounced trah-bah-HAR (stress on the syllable in capitals). In short: to work, for a person doing a job. Also: funcionar, to work, for a machine or a plan (No funciona, "It doesn't work").
| Spanish | trabajar |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | trah-bah-HAR |
| Meaning | to work |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Frequency | #92 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice.
How to pronounce trabajar
Trabajar is pronounced trah-bah-HAR, in IPA /tɾabaˈxaɾ/. Trabajar has three syllables, trah-bah-HAR, with the stress on the third. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.
- J is a rough h sound, stronger than the English h.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Vamos a trabajar juntos.
Let's work together.
Trabajo de lunes a viernes.
I work Monday to Friday.
Trabajo con mi compañero.
I work with my colleague.
"To work" in Spain and Latin America
Useful phrases
- Trabajo en una oficina.
I work in an office.
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember trabajar
trabajar [trah-bah-HAR] sounds like the English “trap a jar”. Picture this:
Your work today: trap a jar of fireflies for the night lamp factory.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice trabajar
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.