I can name a man's or a woman's profession without a mistake in the ending, and choose the right way to address anyone — tú or usted.
What people do for a living and how to address them
What people do for a living and how to address them
Next: your job, and how to address people politely.
No article before a profession, unlike English “I'm a teacher”: Soy profesor. Ana es abogada.
English “doctor” or “lawyer” fits anyone; Spanish job words change for a woman:
• -o changes to -a: el médico — la médica;
• -or adds -a: el profesor — la profesora;
• words in -e and -ista have one form, only the article changes: el estudiante — la estudiante, el taxista — la taxista.
A special case: el actor — la actriz.
tú or usted: English has one “you”, Spanish two for one person. tú: a friend, someone your age, a child, a relative. usted: a stranger, someone older, a boss, a doctor, a teacher. usted takes the él / ella form: ¿Es usted abogado? To several people in Spain: vosotros (informal), ustedes (formal); Latin America uses ustedes for both.
señor and señora go before the last name, not the first name: señora Ortega. Speaking to someone, no article: Buenos días, señor Ramos. Speaking about someone, unlike English “Mr. Ramos”, add the article: El señor Ramos es abogado.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Soy un médico” — no article before a profession.
• NOT “Teresa es médico” — for a woman: Teresa es médica.
• NOT “Teresa es periodisto” — words in -ista don't change: periodista.
• NOT “¿Eres usted abogado?” — usted takes es.
• NOT “Señor Ramos es abogado” — correct: El señor Ramos es abogado.
The gender of professions: four patterns
Words ending in -e and -ista change only the article.
| Pattern | He | She |
|---|---|---|
| -o changes to -a | el médico | la médica |
| -o changes to -a | el cocinero | la cocinera |
| -or adds -a | el profesor | la profesora |
| -or adds -a | el vendedor | la vendedora |
| -e doesn't change | el estudiante | la estudiante |
| -ista doesn't change | el taxista | la taxista |
| special case | el actor | la actriz |
tú or usted
With usted and ustedes, the verb is in the third-person form.
| To whom | Informal | Formal |
|---|---|---|
| to one person | tú eres | usted es |
| to several people | vosotros sois | ustedes son |
| who you'd say this to | a friend, someone your age, a child, a relative | a stranger, someone older, a boss, a doctor, a teacher |
Lesson notes
What people do for a living and how to address them
Next: your job, and how to address people politely.
No article before a profession, unlike English “I'm a teacher”: Soy profesor. Ana es abogada.
English “doctor” or “lawyer” fits anyone; Spanish job words change for a woman:
• -o changes to -a: el médico — la médica;
• -or adds -a: el profesor — la profesora;
• words in -e and -ista have one form, only the article changes: el estudiante — la estudiante, el taxista — la taxista.
A special case: el actor — la actriz.
tú or usted: English has one “you”, Spanish two for one person. tú: a friend, someone your age, a child, a relative. usted: a stranger, someone older, a boss, a doctor, a teacher. usted takes the él / ella form: ¿Es usted abogado? To several people in Spain: vosotros (informal), ustedes (formal); Latin America uses ustedes for both.
señor and señora go before the last name, not the first name: señora Ortega. Speaking to someone, no article: Buenos días, señor Ramos. Speaking about someone, unlike English “Mr. Ramos”, add the article: El señor Ramos es abogado.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Soy un médico” — no article before a profession.
• NOT “Teresa es médico” — for a woman: Teresa es médica.
• NOT “Teresa es periodisto” — words in -ista don't change: periodista.
• NOT “¿Eres usted abogado?” — usted takes es.
• NOT “Señor Ramos es abogado” — correct: El señor Ramos es abogado.