Work
Learn the Portuguese words for jobs and workplaces: doctor, teacher, nurse, office, hospital and more. Every word comes with its article, so you learn the gender too, and the English meaning.
Practise it, do not just read it
Free interactive practice you can do alone, with the answers checked as you go.
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The world of work
This module teaches the Portuguese words for jobs and workplaces. Every word comes with its article (o, a, os or as), which tells you the gender, plus the English meaning. Learn the article with the noun every time - it is the easy way to remember whether a word is masculine or feminine.
Words about work
Start with some general words about working life:
Match each job to its English meaning
- o médico
- o professor
- o enfermeiro
- o motorista
- doctor
- teacher
- nurse
- driver
Which job?
Which Portuguese word means 'doctor'?
- o médico
- o professor
- o enfermeiro
- o motorista
Where people work
Now some words for the places where people work: - o escritório = office - o hospital = hospital - a escola = school - o restaurante = restaurant Learn each one with its article to fix the gender in your memory.
Match each workplace to its English meaning
- o escritório
- o hospital
- a escola
- o restaurante
- office
- hospital
- school
- restaurant
Spot the jobs
Select the TWO words that are names of jobs (professions), not places.
- o médico
- o professor
- o hospital
- a escola
The person and the place
Keep two kinds of word apart: the person who does a job, and the place where they do it.
Which place?
Which Portuguese word means 'hospital'?
- o hospital
- o escritório
- a escola
- o restaurante
Jobs and workplaces in Portuguese
A doctor is _____ and a teacher is _____. A doctor works in _____, and a teacher works in _____. The money you earn is _____.
Getting a job
Put the steps of starting a working life into a sensible order.
- Finish school
- Train or study for a career
- Apply for a job
- Have an interview
- Start work and earn a salary
Who does this job?
Read what each person does, and pick the Portuguese word for their job.
- This person looks after sick people and gives them medicine. Which job?
- This person teaches children in a school. Which job?
- This person drives a bus or a taxi to take people around. Which job?
Your turn: write in Portuguese
Write two or three sentences IN PORTUGUESE about a job and where that person works.
- Name the job with Sou… (I am ...; Portuguese drops the article before a profession): Sou médico (I am a doctor), or use professor (teacher), enfermeiro (nurse) or motorista (driver)
- Name the workplace, keeping its article: o hospital, a escola (school), o escritório (office) or o restaurante (restaurant)
- Say what you like with Gosto de… - and when the next word takes o, de and o join into do: Gosto do trabalho (I like the work)
- You may add o salário (salary), o chefe (the boss) or o colega (a colleague)
The article comes with the noun
For the top marks, keep two groups of words clear and linked, and always learn the article. First, the jobs - who someone is: o médico (doctor), o professor (teacher), o enfermeiro (nurse), o motorista (driver). Second, the workplaces - where they work: o hospital (hospital), a escola (school), o escritório (office). Learn each noun with its article and its meaning, and you will get the gender right every time.