Professions and studies
Profesiones y estudios
- Describe your profession
- Ask somebody's profession
- Talk about studies
- Interrogative words: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"
Learn key Spanish professions and study-related vocabulary with phrases like ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do?), and interrogatives such as Dónde? (Where?), Cuál? (Which?), and Qué? (What?).
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (22) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify the words according to whether they refer to professions related to health or to service professions.
Profesiones relacionadas con la salud
Profesiones de servicio
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
El periodista
The journalist
2
Practicar
To practise
3
Trabajar
To work
4
El gerente
The manager
5
El abogado
The lawyer
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Say the professions of each person. (Say the professions of each person. )
- What is your profession? (What is your profession?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
El joven es estudiante. The young man is a student. |
|
La mujer es mecánica. The woman is a mechanic. |
|
Michael es policía. Michael is a police officer. |
|
Giulia es periodista. Giulia is a journalist. |
|
¿A qué te dedicas? What do you do for a living? |
|
Soy profesor. I am a teacher. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Yo _______ ingeniería en la Universidad de Madrid.
(I _______ engineering at the University of Madrid.)2. Mi amigo _______ como médico en un hospital público.
(My friend _______ as a doctor in a public hospital.)3. Nosotros nos _______ a la enseñanza en una escuela privada.
(We _______ ourselves to teaching at a private school.)4. ¿Dónde _______ tú, en una empresa o en un restaurante?
(Where _______ you work, in a company or in a restaurant?)Exercise 8: Professions and studies: a conversation in the cafeteria
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Trabajar - Trabajar
Presente
- yo trabajo
- tú trabajas
- él/ella/Ud. trabaja
- nosotros/as trabajamos
- vosotros/as trabajáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. trabajan
Estudiar - Estudiar
Presente
- yo estudio
- tú estudias
- él/ella/Ud. estudia
- nosotros/as estudiamos
- vosotros/as estudiáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. estudian
Dedicar - Dedicar
Presente
- yo me dedico
- tú te dedicas
- él/ella/Ud. se dedica
- nosotros/as nos dedicamos
- vosotros/as os dedicáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. se dedican
Responder - Responder
Presente
- yo respondo
- tú respondes
- él/ella/Ud. responde
- nosotros/as respondemos
- vosotros/as respondéis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. responden
Exercise 9: Palabras interrogativas: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Interrogative words: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"
Show translation Show answersCuáles, Dónde, Qué, Por qué, Cuál
Grammar Share Copied!
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A1.7.2 Gramática
Palabras interrogativas: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"
Interrogative words: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Estudiar to study Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) estudio | I study |
| (tú) estudias | You study |
| (él/ella) estudia | he studies/she studies |
| (nosotros/nosotras) estudiamos | we study |
| (vosotros/vosotras) estudiáis | You study |
| (ellos/ellas) estudian | they study |
Trabajar to work Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) trabajo | I work |
| (tú) trabajas | You work |
| (él/ella) trabaja | he works/she works |
| (nosotros/nosotras) trabajamos | we work |
| (vosotros/vosotras) trabajáis | you work |
| (ellos/ellas) trabajan | they work |
Dedicarse a to engage in Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) me dedico a | I engage in |
| (tú) te dedicas a | You engage in |
| (él/ella) se dedica a | he/she engages in |
| (nosotros/nosotras) nos dedicamos a | We engage in |
| (vosotros/vosotras) os dedicáis a | you engage in |
| (ellos/ellas) se dedican a | they engage in |
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Lesson Overview: Professions and Studies
This A1-level Spanish lesson focuses on common professions, studies, and interpersonal questions related to occupations and education. You will learn how to ask and answer questions about what people do for work or study, as well as the interrogative words that are essential for everyday conversations.
Key Topics Covered
- Common professions and study-related vocabulary – words that describe jobs and fields of study.
- Interrogative words – question words like "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", and "Por qué?" that are used to gather specific information.
- Simple question formation – how to ask about someone's occupation or place of study.
Important Expressions
- ¿A qué te dedicas? – "What do you do?" or "What is your occupation?" This is a common question when asking about professions.
- ¿Dónde estudias? – "Where do you study?"
- ¿Cuál es tu profesión? – "What is your profession?"
- ¿Qué estudias? – "What do you study?"
- ¿Por qué estudias eso? – "Why do you study that?"
Language Notes: Differences Between English and Spanish
Unlike English, Spanish uses several question words depending on the context, and the placement within the sentence can vary. For example, "Dónde?" means "Where?" and is used to ask about location, while "Cuál?" can mean "Which?" or "What?" and is often used when choosing from a set of options. In English, "What do you do?" is a general question about someone's occupation, whereas Spanish uses ¿A qué te dedicas? which literally means "To what do you dedicate yourself?"
Here are some useful words and their English equivalents for this lesson:
- El médico / La médica – The doctor
- El ingeniero / La ingeniera – The engineer
- El estudiante / La estudiante – The student
- La universidad – The university
- El trabajo – The work or job
Remember that in Spanish, nouns have gender and the articles change accordingly. This is different from English, which generally does not have gendered nouns.
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