profesora
/pɾofeˈsoɾa/
In Spanish, profesora means a female teacher or professor.
The term profesora is used to describe a female teacher. In many Spanish-speaking countries, it is the standard term for a university-level professor.
Which one should you use?
While profesora can refer to any teacher, maestra is more specifically used for primary or elementary school teachers. In certain educational settings, especially in early childhood education, the term educadora may be used instead of profesora.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, tutora is used to refer to a female teacher in certain educational settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form of the noun is profesor. The plural form for a group of female teachers is profesoras.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾofeˈsoɾa/
Did you know?
- The term profesora is shared across many Romance languages, such as professora in Portuguese and professoressa in Italian. This reflects a shared Latin root describing someone who 'professes' or declares their expertise in a subject.
- In some Latin American countries, a female teacher is addressed as doña followed by her name to show a level of profound respect that exceeds the professional title profesora.
- A high-ranking university teacher with a permanent chair may be addressed as catedrática, a title denoting prestige and tenure beyond the standard profesora.
Examples in context
- Señora profesora, ¿puede explicar nuevamente el ejercicio?Madam teacher, can you explain the exercise again?
- Profe, ¿podemos entregar el proyecto mañana en lugar de hoy?Teacher, can we submit the project tomorrow instead of today?
- La profesora es muy amable.The teacher is very kind.
- Necesito hablar con la profesora.I need to talk to the teacher.
- Ella es mi profesora de inglés.She is my English teacher.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about their school schedule.
- Alejandro¿Es ella la nueva profesora?Is she the new teacher?
- SofíaSí, es la profesora de matemáticas.Yes, she is the math teacher.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿sabes su nombre?Sofía, do you know her name?
- SofíaNo, pero es una profesora excelente.No, but she is an excellent teacher.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry profesora, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
