Which one should you use?
While trabajo para emphasizes the employer (the person or entity you serve), trabajo en is often used to emphasize the physical location or the specific field where you are situated, such as saying 'I work in a bank'. You can also use trabajo en to say 'I work at [Company Name]' if you are treating the company as a location or a place of employment rather than a person or entity you are serving.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Trabajo para… is mainly used in Spain and Latin American countries. The phrase Laburo para… is commonly used in some parts of Argentina and Uruguay.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb trabajo changes based on the subject. For example, trabajas para means 'you work for' and trabaja para means 'he/she works for'.
How do you pronounce it?
/tɾabaxo paɾa/
Did you know?
- The word trabajo shares an ancient, distant root with the Greek word for a 'three-fold' tool or weight, linked to the concept of labor and burden.
- The term laburo used in Argentina and Uruguay is not native to Spanish, but is instead a loanword from the Italian word lavoro. It highlights the massive influence of Italian immigration in the Río de la Plata region.
- The word trabajo is a linguistic chameleon that functions as both a verb and a noun, meaning both 'I work' and 'my job'.
Examples in context
- Trabajo para una agencia de viajes.I work for a travel agency.This sentence is useful for identifying a travel agency as your employer.Tatoeba #824290 by Munia, translation #252381 by CK
- Trabajo para ti.I work for you.This sentence is useful for stating that you work for a specific person.Tatoeba #1638190 by teskmon, translation #825428 by sundown
- Trabajo para McDonald's.I work for McDonald's.This sentence is useful for identifying McDonald's as your employer.Tatoeba #1332014 by marcelostockle, translation #606317 by CK
- Trabajo para una compañía de tecnología.I work for a technology company.
- Trabajo para el gobierno.I work for the government.
- Trabajo para una ONG.I work for an NGO.
- Trabajo en una start-up.I work at a start-up.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are talking about their jobs at a cafe.
- Lucía¿Dónde trabajas actualmente?Where do you work currently?
- AlejandroTrabajo para una constructora.I work for a construction company.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Yo trabajo para el gobierno.That's great! I work for the government.
- AlejandroEs un empleo muy estable.It is a very stable job.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries para, trabajo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
