Learning the names of professions in Italian is essential if you want to handle everyday conversations, job interviews, or even talk about your future plans. In this article, I share with you the essential list of vocabulary related to professions and trades in Italian, with job examples and some practical questions and answers you can use.
Basic vocabulary of professions in Italian
Here is a list of some of the most common professions. Keep in mind that many professions change not only by gender, but there are also irregular groups with different endings. Let’s look at them more closely.
Jobs in Italian ending in -O, -A
Il cuoco, la cuoca – the cook
Il segretario, la segretaria – the secretary
Il commesso, la commessa – the shop assistant
Professions in Italian ending in -ERE
This group of professions in Italian has four endings: -ere for masculine singular, -era for feminine, and for plural -eri and -ere respectively. They can be a bit confusing because the masculine singular and the feminine plural are the same, although the articles and adjectives change.
Il parrucchiere, la parrucchiera, i parrucchieri, le parrucchiere – the hairdresser
Il cameriere, la cameriera, i camerieri, le cameriere – the waiter/waitress
L’infermiere, l’infermiera, gli infermieri, le infermiere – the nurse
Professions in Italian ending in -TORE
This other group of professions has the ending -tore for masculine singular and -trice for feminine. For the plural, just change the final -e to -i.
L’allenatore, l’allenatrice, gli allenatori, le allenatrici – the coach
Lo scrittore, la scrittrice, gli scrittori, le scrittrici – the writer
L’attore, l’attrice, gli attori, le attrici – actor, actress
Professions in Italian ending in -ISTA
There is also a group of professions ending in -ista in the singular (both masculine and feminine) and in the plural -isti for masculine and -iste for feminine.
Il / la barista, i baristi, le bariste – the bartender
L’autista, gli autisti, le autiste – the driver
Il/ la giornalista, i giornalisti, le giornaliste – the journalist
Professions in Italian ending in -ANTE / -ENTE
Another interesting group ends in -ante or -ente in the singular (masculine and feminine) and in the plural -anti or -enti.
Il / la docente, i / le docenti – the teacher
L’insegnante, gli / le insegnanti – the teacher
Il / la vigilante, i / le vigilanti – the security guard
Professions in Italian ending in -ESSA
To finish this list of basic professions in Italian, there is a group with feminine forms in -essa, although the masculine singular looks regular.
Il professore, la professoressa, i professori, le professoresse – the teacher / the professor
Il dottore, la dottoressa, i dottori, le dottoresse – the doctor
L’avvocato, l’avvocatessa, gli avvocati, le avvocatesse – the lawyer
Lo studente, la studentessa, gli studenti, le studentesse – the student
Expresiones comunes sobre el trabajo en italiano
Learning set phrases and idiomatic expressions will also help you sound more natural in Italian, especially when talking about jobs and professions. Let’s look at some questions and answers we can use:
Che lavoro fai? – What do you do for a living?
Cosa fai nella vita? – What do you do in life?
Di cosa ti occupi? – What do you do?
Lavori o studi? – Do you work or study?
Lavoro come professore di italiano. – I work as an Italian teacher.
Sono giornalista. – I’m a journalist.
Faccio la commessa. – I work as a shop assistant.
Non lavoro, sono disoccupato/a. – I don’t work, I’m unemployed.
Lavoro a tempo pieno. – I work full-time.
Lavoro part-time. – I work part-time.
Lavoro da casa / in remoto. – I work from home / remotely.
Sono in pausa. – I’m on a break.
Sono molto impegnato/a. – I’m very busy.
Ho tanto da fare. – I have a lot to do.
Faccio gli straordinari. – I work overtime.
Sto cercando nuove opportunità. – I’m looking for new opportunities.
Vorrei cambiare lavoro. – I’d like to change jobs.
Ho perso il lavoro. – I’ve lost my job.
Sono stato/a assunto/a. – I was hired.
Mi hanno licenziato. – I was fired.
Are you moving to Italy for work and need to learn Italian quickly and effectively?
Mastering the vocabulary of professions in Italian brings you one step closer to fluency. Remember, practicing in context is key: use these words to talk about yourself, ask others, and better understand what you hear or read.
And if you need your learning to be even faster and more effective, here you have a native teacher with many years of experience who can help you. My activities are tailored to each student’s needs and will make your study much more enjoyable. Write to me now and let’s get started!
