hoy no se trabaja
/oi no se tɾabaxa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "no work today" can be translated into Spanish as hoy no se trabaja.
hoy no se trabaja is a statement used to announce that a business is closed for the day or that there is no scheduled work, often due to a public holiday. While it focuses on the action of working, you may also use hoy no hay trabajo to specifically express that there is a lack of available work or jobs.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, hoy no se trabaja translates to "today not one works" or "today work is not done."
Which one should you use?
hoy no se trabaja emphasizes the act of working being absent, whereas hoy no hay trabajo focuses on the lack of work or employment available.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the impersonal se to indicate that work is not being performed by anyone in general, rather than referring to a specific person.
How do you pronounce it?
/oi no se tɾabaxa/
Did you know?
- While trabaja comes from trabajar, the root of the word originally referred to a torture device used to stretch animals, reflecting the historical view of hard labor as a form of suffering.
- In some regions, workers might use a shorthand version of this sentiment by simply saying estamos puente, which implies they are not working because a holiday falls near a weekend.
- The word se in this context is a linguistic survivor of a complex shift. It actually originated from the Latin word 'illī', which meant 'to him' or 'to her', but changed its sound and meaning over centuries.
Examples in context
- Hoy no se trabaja por ser festivo.Today there is no work because it is a holiday.
- Es domingo, así que hoy no se trabaja.It is Sunday, so today there is no work.
- En esta oficina hoy no se trabaja.In this office, there is no work today.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking at home on a holiday.
- Javier¿Tenemos que ir a la oficina?Do we have to go to the office?
- MaríaNo, Javier, hoy no se trabaja.No, Javier, there is no work today.
- Javier¡Qué bien! Entonces podemos descansar.That's great! Then we can rest.
- MaríaSí, aprovechemos el día.Yes, let's make the most of the day.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hoy, no, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
