work

trabajar

el trabajo

USAGE NOTE

This word must be preceded by the definite article in the last sense shown in the plural noun.

“Trabajar” vs. “Funcionar" in Spanish

work(

wuhrk

)

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb

1. (to be employed)

a. trabajar

I work from 9 am to 5 pm.Trabajo de 9 am a 5 pm.

2. (to operate)

a. funcionar

The washing machine doesn't work.La lavadora no funciona.

b. andar

That clock works off batteries.Ese reloj anda con pilas.

3. (to have effect)

a. funcionar

This ointment works quickly to relieve irritated skin.Esta pomada funciona rápidamente para aliviar las pieles irritadas.

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g. I bought a book.).

transitive verb

4. (to manage)

a. manejar

I am often employed to work a crane.Me contratan a menudo para manejar la grúa.

b. operar

You shouldn't work heavy machinery after taking those pills.No se debe operar maquinaria pesada después de tomar esas pastillas.

5. (to make work)

a. hacer trabajar

They starved us and worked us non-stop.Nos mataban de hambre y nos hacían trabajar sin descanso.

6. (to achieve)

a. hacer

The ointment works wonders on rashes.La pomada hace maravillas para los sarpullidos.

7. (to cultivate)

a. labrar

My grandparents are sad that there is no one left to work the land.Mis abuelos están tristes que no haya quien labre la tierra.

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. man, dog, house).

noun

8. (activity)

a. el trabajo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

I hope my work contributes to the fight against pollution.Espero que mi trabajo contribuya a la lucha contra la contaminación.

9. (employment)

a. el trabajo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

My work is all-consuming.Mi trabajo consume todo mi tiempo.

10. (place of employment)

a. el trabajo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

I had to speak French with a client today at work.Hoy en el trabajo tuve que hablar en francés con un cliente.

11. (product)

a. la obra

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

That is the work of an intelligent person.Esa es la obra de una persona inteligente.

12. (fine arts)

a. la obra

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

This is a work of fiction.Es una obra de ficción.

works

A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

plural noun

13. (literature)

a. las obras

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

I gave Tim the complete works of Shakespeare for his birthday.Le regalé a Tim las obras completas de Shakespeare por su cumpleaños.

14. (construction) (United Kingdom)

a. las obras

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

There always seem to be works on that stretch of the motorway.Parece que ese tramo de la autopista siempre está en obras.

15.

A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).

(colloquial)

(everything)

a. todo entero

I'm so hungry, I'm going to order the works!Tengo tanta hambre que voy a pedir todo entero.

work

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. man, dog, house).

Noun

1. (labor)

a. el trabajo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

to be at work (on something)estar trabajando (en algo)

to get to workponerse a trabajar

work in progresstrabajos en curso

the work ethicla ética del trabajo

2. (computers)

work stationestación de trabajo

3. (employment)

a. el trabajo m, empleo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

to look for workbuscar empleo or trabajo

to be out of workno tener trabajo estar parado(a)

work experienceexperiencia f laboral

work permitpermiso de trabajo

work weeksemana laboral

4. (tasks)

a. el trabajo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

to have work to dotener trabajo (que hacer)

it will take a lot of workcostará mucho trabajo

to put a lot of work into somethingponer mucho esfuerzo en algo

let's get down to work!¡manos a la obra!

to have one's work cut outtenerlo bastante difícil

to make quick or short work of somethingdespachar algo en seguida

it's all in a day's workes el pan nuestro de cada día

good or nice work!¡buen trabajo!

5. (product, achievement)

a. la obra

(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(F)

a work of artuna obra de arte

is this all your own work?¿lo has hecho todo tú mismo?

6. (ind)

works councilcomité de empresa

works outingexcursión anual (de los trabajadores de una empresa)

worksobras fpl

worksmecanismo m

7. (colloquial)

the workstodo

to give somebody the worksdar una paliza a alguien

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g. I bought a book.).

transitive verb

8. (general)

to work somebody hardhacer trabajar mucho a alguien

to work oneself to deathmatarse a trabajar

to work one's passagepagarse el pasaje trabajando en el barco

9. (operate; machine)

a. manejar, hacer funcionar

10. (bring about; miracle, cure)

a. hacer, obrar

to work a change on something/somebodyoperar un cambio en algo/alguien

I'll work it or things so that they pay in advancelo arreglaré de forma que paguen por adelantado

11. (move)

to work one's hands freelograr soltarse las manos

to work one's way through a bookir avanzando en la lectura de un libro

12. (exploit; mine, quarry)

a. explotar

13. (land)

a. labrar

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb

14. (person)

a. trabajar

to work for somebodytrabajar para alguien

her age works against her/in her favorla edad juega en su contra/en su favor

15. (ind)

to work to rulehacer huelga de celo

16. (function; machine, system)

a. funcionar

17. (have effect; medicine)

a. hacer efecto

18. (plan, method)

a. funcionar

work [wɜːk]

noun

1 (activity) trabajo (m)

I've got some more work for you There's still a lot of work to be done on it

(effort) esfuerzo (m)

work in progress trabajo en proceso

to be at work on sth estar trabajando sobre algo

He was at work on another picture when I last saw him

there are forces at work hay fuerzas en movimiento

There are subversive forces at work here

work has begun on the new dam se han comenzado las obras del nuevo embalse

work has begun on the new project ha comenzado el trabajo en el nuevo proyecto

work has already begun on the next edition

it's all in a day's work es pan de cada día

He's never done a day's work in his life!

to do one's work hacer su trabajo

I just do my work and go home

he did some good work at head office hizo un buen trabajo en la oficina central; the medicine had done its work la medicina había surtido efecto

to get some work done hacer algo (de trabajo)

I'm trying to get some work done

to get on with one's work seguir trabajando

good work! (well done) ¡buen trabajo!

it's hard work es mucho trabajo; cuesta (trabajo)

he's hard work es una persona difícil

For all his apparent suavity, Todd is hard work; bit by bit, though, he begins to tell me about himself

a piece of work un trabajo

she's put a lot of work into it le ha puesto grandes esfuerzos

to make quick work of sth/sb despachar algo/a algn con rapidez

to set to work ponerse a trabajar

to set sb to work poner a algn a trabajar

to make short work of sth/sb despachar algo/a algn con rapidez

to start work ponerse a trabajar

to have one's work cut out

I have my work cut out as it is ya tengo trabajo hasta por encima de las cejas; I had my work cut out to stop it me costó detenerlo; you'll have your work cut out trying to stop him te costará muchísimo trabajo impedirle

nasty

2 (employment, place of employment) trabajo (m)

"work wanted" (US) "demandas de empleo"

to be at work estar trabajando

accidents at work accidentes (m) laborales

to go to work ir a trabajar

Every morning before going to work he would ...

to go out to work (have a job) tener un trabajo

Does your wife go out to work?

to be in work tener trabajo

...benefits for those in work Is he in regular work?

she's looking for work está buscando trabajo

it's nice work if you can get it es muy agradable para los que tienen esa suerte

I'm off work for a week tengo una semana de permiso

a day off work un día libre

Mr Hardy tells me that he has not had a day off work for illness in the last 20 years She was unable to attend as she couldn't get the day off work

to take time off work tomarse tiempo libre

They wanted to compensate players who took time off work to train and play

to be out of work estar desempleado or parado or en paro

...an increase in the numbers out of work

to put sb out of work dejar a algn sin trabajo

on her way to work camino del trabajo

On her way to work she stopped off at the baker's where is his (place of) work?

3 (product, deed) obra (f); (efforts) trabajo

the works of God las obras de Dios; this is the work of a professional/madman esto es trabajo de un profesional/loco; what do you think of his work? ¿qué te parece su trabajo?

his work is very good The head has been completely and neatly severed from the body. This is clearly the work of a professional

the dictator and all his works el dictador y todo lo suyo

Lubbock signed off as radio critic of the Observer with a bitter denunciation of Radio 3 controller Nicholas Kenyon and all his works

good works obras (f) de caridad

his life's work el trabajo al que ha dedicado su vida

The election of an ANC majority was the culmination of his life's work ... Turner, whose visionary paintings he made it his life's work to explain

4 (Art) (Literat) etc obra (f)

... Camus' last work ... a work on Joyce This work was commissioned by ... He manages to sell most of his work

the works of Dickens las obras de Dickens

a work of art una obra de arte

a literary work una obra literaria

a work of reference un libro de consulta

5 works [of machine, clock etc] mecanismo (m)

to bung or gum up the works fastidiarlo todo

to be in the works In New England two big bank alliances are in the works The meeting has been in the works for some time and is another sign of improving relations between the two countries

spanner

6 works (Mil) obras (f); fortificaciones (f)

road works obras; Ministry of Works Ministerio (m) de Obras Públicas

intransitive verb

1 (gen) trabajar; (be in a job) tener trabajo

Are you working these days? He hasn't worked since his accident

to work to achieve sth dirigir todos sus esfuerzos a lograr algo

he is working at his German está dándole al alemán

to work hard trabajar mucho or duro

she works in a bakery trabaja en una panadería

he works in education/publishing trabaja en la enseñanza/el campo editorial; he prefers to work in wood/oils prefiere trabajar la madera/con óleos

to work to rule (Ind) estar en huelga de celo

to work towards sth trabajar or realizar esfuerzos para conseguir algo

We are working towards equality We are working towards a solution/an agreement

to work like a slave or Trojan {etc} trabajar como un demonio

2 (function) [+machine, car] funcionar

The lift isn't working

the heating isn't working la calefacción no funciona; it won't work no funciona

not working no funciona

my brain doesn't seem to be working today mi cerebro no funciona hoy como es debido

it may work against us podría sernos desfavorable

It was a clever manoeuvre but worked against him in the courts, which saw it only as ploy to ... Mr Jiang said that to revoke China's trade status would work against the interests of both Washington and Peking In some ways the expectation of a massive Christian Democratic win might work against Dr Kohl. Some people might not bother to vote

this can work both ways esto puede ser un arma de doble filo

this may work in our favour puede que esto nos venga bien

Liverpool are bound to be confident, and that might just work in our favour

to get sth working hacer funcionar algo

it works off the mains funciona con la electricidad de la red

my plan worked perfectly mi plan funcionó a la perfección

3 (be effective) [+plan] salir; marchar; [+drug, medicine, spell] surtir efecto; ser eficaz; [+yeast] fermentar

how long does it take to work? ¿cuánto tiempo hace falta para que empiece a surtir efecto?; the scheme won't work el proyecto no es práctico; esto no será factible; it won't work, I tell you! ¡te digo que no se puede (hacer)!

4 [+mouth, face, jaws] moverse; torcerse

5 (move gradually)

she worked methodically down the list repasó metódicamente la lista

She worked methodically down the list until she came to the name she was looking for

to work loose desprenderse

to work round to a question preparar el terreno para preguntar algo

eventually he worked round to the price por fin llegó a mencionar el precio; what are you working round to? ¿adónde va a parar todo esto?; ¿qué propósito tiene todo esto?

transitive verb

1 (make work) hacer trabajar

he works his staff too hard hace trabajar demasiado al personal; to work o.s. to death matarse trabajando

to work one's arse (US) ass off I took early retirement at 36 after working my ass off for 20 years Not only would I support him, I'd work my ass off for him

2 (operate)

I don't know how to work the video

can you work it? ¿sabes manejarlo?; it is worked by electricity funciona con electricidad

3 (achieve) [+change] producir; motivar; [+cure] hacer; efectuar; [+miracle] hacer

he has managed to work his promotion ha conseguido asegurarse el ascenso; they worked it so that she could come lo arreglaron para que viniera

wonder

4 (Cos) coser; (Knitting) [+row] hacer

worked with blue thread bordado de hilo azul

5 (shape) [+dough, clay] trabajar

Remove the dough and work it in your hands like Plasticine till it is pliable

[+stone, marble] tallar; grabar

worked flint piedra (f) tallada; work the butter and sugar together amasar el azúcar y la mantequilla juntos

6 (exploit) [+mine] explotar; [+land] cultivar

this land has not been worked for many years estas tierras hace mucho tiempo que no se cultivan; he works the eastern part of the province trabaja en la parte este de la provincia

7 (manoeuvre)

he gradually worked the rope through the hole poco a poco fue metiendo la cuerda por el agujero

She worked the hook carefully out of the cloth

to work one's hands free lograr soltar las manos; he worked the lever up and down movió la palanca hacia arriba y hacia abajo

to work o.s. into a rage ponerse furioso; enfurecerse

he worked the crowd (up) into a frenzy exaltó los ánimos de la multitud

the screw had worked itself loose el tornillo se había soltado solo

The half-inch bolt holding the alternator in place had worked itself loose and needed tightening

to work one's way along ir avanzando poco a poco

to work one's way up a cliff escalar poco a poco or a duras penas un precipicio; to work one's way up to the top of a company llegar a la dirección de una compañía por sus propios esfuerzos; he worked his way up in the firm ascendió en la compañía mediante sus propios esfuerzos

8 (finance)

to work one's passage on a ship costearse un viaje trabajando

to work one's way through college costearse los estudios universitarios trabajando

modifier

work camp (n) campamento (m) laboral

work ethic (n) ética (f) del trabajo

work experience (n) experiencia (f) laboral

work file (n) fichero (m) de trabajo

work force (n) (labourers) mano (f) de obra; (personnel) plantilla (f)

work permit (n) permiso (m) de trabajo

work study (n) práctica (f) estudiantil

work surface (n)

worktop

work therapy (n) laborterapia (f); terapia (f) laboral

work week (n) (US) semana (f) laboral

...a work week of 38 hours

Examples

Phrases

Machine Translators

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Conjugations

Participles

Present:	working
Past:	worked

Indicative of "work"

	Present	Past	Future
I	work	worked	will work
you	work	worked	will work
he/she	works	worked	will work
we	work	worked	will work
you	work	worked	will work
they	work	worked	will work

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work out	hacer ejercicio resolver
work hard	trabajar duro
hard work	mucho trabajo
Where do you work?	¿Dónde trabajas?
at work	en el trabajo
I work	trabajo
do you work	trabajas
go to work	ve al trabajo ir al trabajo
work ethic	la cultura del trabajo
I go to work	voy a trabajar
work experience	experiencia de trabajo experiencia laboral
work together	trabajar juntos
after work	después del trabajo
how was work	cómo estuvo el trabajo
work of art	la obra de arte
I have to work	tengo que trabajar
how is work	cómo está el trabajo
I work at	trabajo en
I will work	trabajaré
good work	buen trabajo