muestra tu trabajo
/mwestɾa tu tɾabaxo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "show your work" is translated into Spanish as muestra tu trabajo.
This phrase is used to instruct someone to provide the specific steps, calculations or logic used to arrive at a final answer, most commonly in an academic or school setting. In many Spanish-speaking educational environments, a speaker might more frequently use the phrase muestra el procedimiento (show the procedure) instead of muestra tu trabajo.
Which one should you use?
The form muestra tu trabajo is used when speaking to a single person informally. If you are addressing a group of people, you should use the plural form muestren su trabajo.
How does it change in a sentence?
The grammar of the phrase changes based on the subject being addressed. muestra tu trabajo uses the informal imperative (tú), which is what a teacher would use when speaking to a single student in a casual or standard classroom setting. When addressing a group of students (plural you), use the form muestren su trabajo.
How do you pronounce it?
/mwestɾa tu tɾabaxo/
Did you know?
- The word trabajo descends from the Latin 'tripalium', which was a three-staked instrument used for torture. This suggests that 'work' was originally associated with extreme suffering.
- While English uses 'show your work' as a general instruction, a Spanish speaker might use the more formal desarrolle el ejercicio to tell a student to 'develop' or expand upon an exercise.
- In Spanish, the concept of 'showing work' is often linked to the word desarrollo, which literally means 'development', describing the process of unfolding a solution.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, profesor. ¿Podría mostrarnos su trabajo paso a paso?Excuse me, professor. Could you show us your work step by step?
- Oye, hermano. Estoy teniendo problemas con esta ecuación. ¿Puedes enseñarme cómo lo hiciste?Hey, buddy. I'm struggling with this equation. Can you show me how you did it?
Example conversation
A teacher is checking a student's math homework.
- DanielSofía, la respuesta es incorrecta.Sofía, the answer is incorrect.
- SofíaLo siento, Daniel. Me equivoqué.I'm sorry, Daniel. I made a mistake.
- DanielMuestra tu trabajo y busquemos el fallo.Show your work and let's find the mistake.
- SofíaEstá aquí en mi cuaderno.It is here in my notebook.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries muestra, trabajo, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
