The Present Tense of Trabajar is used to describe actions happening at the present moment or habitual actions, for example, Trabajo en una oficina. (I work in an office.)

Trabajar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Trabajar (to work) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Trabajar generally means to work or to be employed, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To perform labor or exert effort to accomplish a task, for example, Yo trabajo en una oficina. (I work in an office.)

To function or operate: For a machine or system to carry out its intended purpose, for example, Este ordenador no trabaja bien. (This computer does not work well.)

To sculpt or shape: To mold or manipulate a material into a desired form, for example, El artista trabaja la arcilla con sus manos. (The artist works the clay with their hands.)

Colloquial usage: To make a concerted effort or struggle with something, for example, Estoy trabajando en mejorar mi español. (I’m working on improving my Spanish.) It can also mean to thoroughly beat or thrash someone, for example, ¡Te voy a trabajar si no te callas! (I’m going to beat you up if you don’t shut up!)

Slang usage: In some contexts, it can mean to deceive or trick someone, for example, ¡No me trabajes! (Don’t trick me!) It can also mean to thoroughly criticize or insult someone, for example, ¡Te estoy trabajando porque eres un idiota! (I’m insulting you because you’re an idiot!)

Examples

Examples of Trabajar in the Present Tense

Yo trabajo en una oficina de lunes a viernes. (I work in an office from Monday to Friday.)

¿Tú trabajas los fines de semana? (Do you work on weekends?)

Ella trabaja mucho para mantener a su familia. (She works a lot to support her family.)

Nosotros trabajamos en equipo para terminar el proyecto a tiempo. (We work as a team to finish the project on time.)

¿Trabajáis en la misma compañía que el año pasado? (Do you all work at the same company as last year?)

Ellos trabajan duro para ahorrar dinero y viajar. (They work hard to save money and travel.)

Mi amiga trabaja de voluntaria en un refugio de animales los fines de semana. (My friend volunteers at an animal shelter on weekends.)

Los estudiantes trabajan en sus proyectos finales esta semana. (The students are working on their final projects this week.)

¿Trabajas de noche o de día? (Do you work at night or during the day?)

Mis padres trabajan mucho para darnos una buena vida. (My parents work a lot to give us a good life.)

Los ingenieros trabajan en el diseño del nuevo puente. (The engineers are working on the design of the new bridge.)

¿Trabajáis en la misma oficina que el año pasado? (Do you all work in the same office as last year?)

Los actores trabajan duro para prepararse para la obra de teatro. (The actors are working hard to prepare for the play.)

Ella trabaja desde casa los viernes. (She works from home on Fridays.)

Nosotros trabajamos juntos para lograr nuestras metas. (We work together to achieve our goals.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Trabajar (to work) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.