Professions work just as they do in English with the exception of the use of definite and indefinite articles. In English we always use an article:
I am a professor (Identifying my profession, what do I do for a living)
I am the professor (Who am I in these circumstances?)
However, in Spanish, when you are identifying your profession,
you do not use any article.
For example:
I am a professor. |
Soy profesor. |
Ally McBeal is a lawyer. |
Ally McBeal es abogada. |
Dr. Carter is a surgeon. |
El dr. Carter es cirujano. |
When you use an adjective to describe how
you are in your profession, you use an indefinite article:
I am a good doctor. |
Soy un buen médico. |
They are energetic professors. |
Son unos profesores enérgicos. |
If you are referring to your job by your
job title, you do use a definite article:
I am the interpreter (there is no other.) |
Soy el intérprete. |
Elizabeth is the queen. |
Isabel es la reina. |
David es el jefe. |
David is the boss. |
This works with other informal "titles" as
well:
Where is the artist? (we know there is one) |
¿Dónde está el artista? |
Are there any artists? |
¿Hay artistas? |
Is that the student [you were talking about]? |
¿Es el estudiante? |
He is a student. |
Es estudiante. |
Who are the doctors? (Point them out) |
¿Quiénes son los médicos? |
Are there any doctors? |
¿Hay médicos? |
Most titles or professions ending in "e" only
change the article:
el / la detective |
the detective |
el / la gerente |
the manager |
el / la cantante |
the singer |
el / la representante |
the representative |
el / la intérprete |
the interpreter |
el / la agente (de bienes raíces,
de viajes) |
the agent (real estate, travel) |
Professions which end in “-ista” in their masculine
form remain the same in both the masculine and feminine form:
el / la artista |
the artist |
el / la dentista |
the dentist |
el / la analista |
the analyst |
el / la periodista |
the journalist |
el / la electrista |
the electrician |
Some professions where women have entered only
recently often include the word "mujer"
el policía / la mujer policía
(option: el/la oficial) |
policeman, policewoman (option:the officer
or official) |
el mecánico / la mujer mecánico |
the mechanic |