Trabajar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of trabajar — to work — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Trabajar means to work: trabajar en una oficina, trabajar de profesor, trabajar mucho. It is completely regular and one of the first verbs learners need for talking about jobs. Trabajar de + profession gives the job; trabajar en gives the place or field. This page gives you the complete present tense table for trabajar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo trabajo en una oficina del centro.” — “I work in an office in the centre”.

Present tense conjugation of trabajar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for trabajar. Trabajar is a regular -ar verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — trabajar

Person Form
yo trabajo
tú trabajas
él/ella/Ud. trabaja
nosotros/as trabajamos
vosotros/as trabajáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. trabajan

The gerund of trabajar is trabajando and the past participle is trabajado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of trabajar is formed

For a regular -ar verb, the present tense is built on the stem trabaj- (the infinitive trabajar without its -ar ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → trabajo, tú → trabajas, él/ella/Ud. → trabaja, nosotros/as → trabajamos, vosotros/as → trabajáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → trabajan. So trabajar gives trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajáis and trabajan. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, trabajáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of trabajar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with trabajar: “Yo trabajo en una oficina del centro.” — “I work in an office in the centre”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with trabajar: “Ella trabaja de profesora de inglés.” — “She works as an English teacher”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with trabajar: “Nosotros trabajamos mucho esta semana.” — “We are working a lot this week”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with trabajar: “Ellos trabajan en un proyecto nuevo.” — “They are working on a new project”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: trabajar now, trabajar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo trabajo en una oficina todos los días.” — “I work in an office every day.”

  • Future: “Yo trabajaré en una oficina mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will work in an office.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella trabaja en una oficina ahora.” — “She works in an office now.”

  • Future: “Ella trabajará en una oficina la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will work in an office.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros trabajamos en una oficina en clase.” — “We work in an office in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros trabajaremos en una oficina el lunes.” — “On Monday we will work in an office.”

Example sentences: trabajar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of trabajar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo trabajo en una oficina del centro.” — “I work in an office in the centre.”
  • “Ella trabaja de profesora de inglés.” — “She works as an English teacher.”
  • “Nosotros trabajamos mucho esta semana.” — “We are working a lot this week.”
  • “Ellos trabajan en un proyecto nuevo.” — “They are working on a new project.”
  • “¿Tú trabajas los fines de semana?” — “Do you work at weekends?”
  • “Vosotros trabajáis desde casa los lunes.” — “You work from home on Mondays.”

Common mistakes with trabajar in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Trabajar como profesora — learners translate as literally.

Right: Ella trabaja de profesora.

Jobs take trabajar de: trabajo de profesor, not trabajo como profesor.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Yo trabajo en casa — learners confuse trabajar with estar.

Right: Yo trabajo desde casa.

Working from home is trabajar desde casa; estar en casa is simply being at home.

Quiz: trabajar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of trabajar. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of trabajar in the present tense?

  • A) trabajo
  • B) trabajas
  • C) trabaja
  • D) trabajamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is trabajo.

2. What is the tú form of trabajar in the present tense?

  • A) trabajo
  • B) trabaja
  • C) trabajamos
  • D) trabajas

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is trabajas.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of trabajar in the present tense?

  • A) trabajas
  • B) trabajamos
  • C) trabaja
  • D) trabajo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is trabaja.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of trabajar in the present tense?

  • A) trabaja
  • B) trabajamos
  • C) trabajo
  • D) trabajas

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is trabajamos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ en una oficina del centro.” (I work in an office in the centre.)

  • A) trabajo
  • B) trabajas
  • C) trabaja
  • D) trabajamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs trabajo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ de profesora de inglés.” (She works as an English teacher.)

  • A) trabajo
  • B) trabajas
  • C) trabajamos
  • D) trabaja

Answer: D — The sentence needs trabaja.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Trabajar como profesora — learners translate as literally.
  • B) Ella trabaja de profesora.

Answer: B — Jobs take trabajar de: trabajo de profesor, not trabajo como profesor.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo trabajo desde casa.
  • B) Yo trabajo en casa — learners confuse trabajar with estar.

Answer: A — Working from home is trabajar desde casa; estar en casa is simply being at home.

Frequently asked questions

Is trabajar regular in the present tense?

Yes. trabajar is a regular -ar verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem trabaj- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

What is the yo form of trabajar in the present tense?

It is trabajo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for trabajar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of trabajar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of trabajar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajáis, trabajan — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for trabajar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo trabajo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo trabajé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo trabajaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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