O que você faz? Talking about Jobs and Professions in Portuguese

In this post you’ll learn how to talk about jobs, professions, and working in Portuguese. First you’ll learn how to ask someone what their job is. Next you’ll learn how to say what you do for a living with Portuguese vocabulary for many common jobs. Finally you’ll learn how to talk about where you work, or whether you’re retired or looking for a job.

Asking about Jobs and Professions in Portuguese

If you want to ask what kind of work someone does, you can ask a few different questions. There are two important verbs to know. First is fazer (to do): eu faço, tu fazes, ele/ela/o senhor/a senhora/você  faz, nós fazemos, vós fazeis, eles/elas/vocês fazem. Second is trabalhar (to work): eu trabalho, tu trabalhas, ele/ela/o senhor/a senhora/você  trabalha, nós trabalhamos, vós fazeis, eles/elas/vocês trabalham.

• Qual é a sua profissão?
  What’s your profession?
• O que o senhor / a senhora / você faz?
  What do you do?
• O senhor / A senhora / Você trabalha?
  Do you have a job?
• Onde você trabalha?
  Where do you work?

Common Jobs and Professions in Portuguese

Now let’s look at how to talk about your job. Use the verb ser (to be): eu sou, tu és, ele/ela/o senhor/a senhora/você  é, nós somos, vós sois, eles/elas/vocês são. Notice that there are masculine and feminine forms of most professions. Unlike in English, the indefinite article um/uma is not required, unless you qualify the job. For example: Sou professora. I’m a teacher. Sou uma boa professora. I’m a good teacher.

• Eu sou professor/a.
  I’m a teacher.
• Eu sou estudante.
  I’m a student.
• Sou enfermeiro/a.
  I’m a nurse.
• Sou médico/a.
  I’m a doctor.
• Sou dentista.
  I’m a dentist.
• Sou oficial de polícia. 
  I’m a police officer.
• Sou bombeiro/a.
  I’m a fireman.
• Sou vendedor/a.
  I’m a salesperson. (salesman/saleswoman)
• Sou garçom / garçonete. 
  I’m a server. (waiter/waitress)
• Sou bartender.
  I’m a bartender.
• Sou cozinheiro /a.
  I’m a cook.
• Sou ator / atriz.
  I’m an actor.
• Sou escritor/a.
  I’m a writer.
• Sou jornalista.
  I’m a journalist.
• Sou artista.
  I’m an artist.
• Sou cantor/a.
  I’m a singer.
• Sou dançarino/a.
  I’m a dancer.

More Jobs and Professions in Korean

• Trabalho em construção. 
  I’m a construction worker.
• Sou encanador/a.
  I’m a plumber.
• Sou eletricista.
  I’m an electrician.
• Sou engenheiro/a.
  I’m an engineer.
• Sou carpinteiro/a.
  I’m a carpenter.
• Sou advogado/a.
  I’m a lawyer.
• Sou arquiteto/a.
  I’m an architect.
• Sou web designer.
  I’m a web designer.
• Sou secretário/a. 
  I’m a secretary.
• Sou psiquiatra.
  I’m a psychiatrist.
• Sou psicólogo/a.
  I’m a psychologist.
• Sou assistente social.
  I’m a social worker.
• Sou professor/a de ioga. 
  I’m a yoga instructor.
• Sou caixa.
  I’m a cashier.
• Sou carteiro/a.
  I’m a postal worker.
• Sou supervisor/a administrativo/a. 
  I’m an office supervisor.
• Sou funcionário/a público/a. 
  I’m a civil servant.

Talking about Companies and Working in Portuguese

Finally, here are a few other expressions you can use to describe where, or whether, you work.

• Trabalho em um escritório.
  I work in an office.
• Trabalho em uma empresa pequena/grande.
  I work for a big/small company.
• Trabalho em casa.
  I work at home.
• Tenho um negócio próprio. 
  I have my own business.
• Tenho um emprego.
  I have a job.
• Não tenho emprego.
  I don’t have a job.
• Estou procurando um emprego. 
  I’m looking for a job.
• Sou aposentado/a.
  I’m retired.
• Recebo seguro desemprego.
  I’m on unemployment.  

Get on the road to speaking Portuguese with the Language Garage!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to talk about jobs, professions, and working in Portuguese. Now you know how to talk about work, and you’ve learned Portuguese vocabulary for many common jobs and professions. If you’d like to learn more, check out our other posts on Portuguese language, Brazilian culture, and more. And if you’re looking for convenient and affordable live Portuguese lessons with a real teacher, check out The Language Garage Portuguese. Our lessons are given online in a virtual classroom, so it doesn’t matter where you live or work. We can come to you. And we have flexible options, with a free trial so that you can decide if there’s a fit. Check us out!

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