mucho trabajo
/mut͡ʃo tɾabaxo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "a lot of job" (meaning a large amount of work to be done) is translated into Spanish as mucho trabajo.
Which one should you use?
Use mucho trabajo to describe a heavy workload, but use mucho empleo or muchos puestos if you are referring to a high number of available job openings in the economy.
How do you pronounce it?
/mutʃo tɾabaxo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly translate 'a lot of job' as muchos trabajos when they mean a large volume of work. In Spanish, mucho trabajo refers to the quantity of work, whereas muchos trabajos refers to many distinct employment positions or tasks.
Did you know?
- The word mucho is actually a distant relative of the word 'crumble'. It stems from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'crumbled' or 'broken into pieces', which eventually evolved into the Latin 'multus' meaning 'many'.
- In professional settings, a Spanish speaker might say estoy desbordado to describe having mucho trabajo. While it literally means 'overflowing', it specifically describes the feeling of being emotionally and mentally overwhelmed by tasks.
- In Spanish, saying tengo mucho trabajo can be used as a polite excuse to end a conversation or decline an invitation without saying 'no' directly.
Examples in context
- La nueva empresa ofrece abundantes puestos de trabajo.The new company offers a lot of job positions.
- Mi hermano consiguió un montón de trabajos.My brother got a lot of jobs.
- Cuando terminé la universidad, tuve un chorro de trabajos.When I finished college, I had a lot of jobs.
- Tengo mucho trabajo hoy.I have a lot of work today.
- Ella tiene mucho trabajo en la oficina.She has a lot of work at the office.
- Parece que hay mucho trabajo pendiente.It seems like there is a lot of work pending.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are talking about their busy afternoon.
- Mateo¿Cómo vas con tus tareas, Lucía?How are you doing with your tasks, Lucía?
- LucíaTengo mucho trabajo por terminar.I have a lot of work to finish.
- MateoYo también tengo mucho trabajo hoy.I also have a lot of work today.
- LucíaEntonces nos vemos más tarde.Then I will see you later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mucho, trabajo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
