Las profesiones
In Spanish, when you are identifying your profession,
you do not use an 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 an article. For example:
| 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 he the student (you are talking about)? |
¿Es el estudiante? |
| He is a student. |
Es estudiante. |
| Who are the Germans? (Point them out) |
¿Quiénes son los alemanes? |
| Are there any Germans? |
¿Hay alemanes? |
-
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 the 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 |
Antonio, el paramédico
Copyright © 2000 Deborah R. Lemon.
All
rights reserved.