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Coffee Break Spanish
How Spanish speakers really talk about work
00:07:24
Which of these words will you start using first?
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Transcript8 lines
- [00:00]
A
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Hola que talestas soy Pablo. The Coffee breaks Spanish and up next, we're going to explore one of my favorite topics about languages, slang. But in particular, we're going to focus on slang words to talk about work in Spanish. Preparate por quempe samos. Let's start with one of the first slang words for work you'll hear in curro. It sounds cool, right? This one is super common and it means work. Entonces por e genplo si aliente pregunta que tal el curro. Now you know that they're asking how's work? Or how's work going? So curo is a noun, but you can also use the verb which means to work. So you can say things like I'm not working tomorrow, lucky you if that's the case. Or you can also ask someone the que curas to ask them what they do for a living. There are other derived words from curo such as curante, which essentially means worker. However, cur curante sometimes also has the connotation of a hard working person, someone who is very committed to what they do. So if you hear someone say es muy curante, that means that that person is very Hardworking. Muy bien. So so far we've seen curo, currar and curante, but we actually use many other slang words for work in Spain. Porrejen blo. A personal favorite of mine is faena, and I honestly use this one a lot. I think it's maybe more common in the region of Valencia where I'm from. And essentially faena means work, but it can also mean task. So if you hear someone say something like tengo mucha faina oy, it basically means, I have a lot of work today, or I have so many things to do today. Tambiente nemos la palabra tajo. Which, apart from being one of Spain's most important rivers, el tajo is also a slang word for work. This one, I would say is a bit more colloquial than the other. So if someone say estoy en el tajo, this probably doesn't mean that they're swimming in the river tajo, but that they're simply at work. Bale. So we've seen some slang words related to work used in Spain, but what about the rest of the Spanish speaking world, you may be wondering. Well, let's see a couple of examples from other countries. Por e genplo en Mexico, you'll hear the word chamba a lot, which also means work. And similarly, you can also use the verb chamber. You can say things like prefiere, chamber, des de casa, which means he or she prefers to work from home. O siestas en Argentina. Oiras la palabra laburo. Exactly. In Argentina, you'll hear the slang word laburo, which again means war, but also the verb laburar, which means to work. So as you can see, there are plenty of options for you to choose from. But don't worry, no matter which slang word you prefer to use, you'll be understood across the Spanish speaking world. Now onto a quick cultural difference that I would really like to share with you. I'm Spanish, and in Spain people don't usually ask, what do you do for a living? As soon as you meet them? Someone. So I live in Scotland now, and in my experience, every time I meet someone new here, the question what do you do for work? Tends to be one of the first things that they would ask me. And I must say, it's always a bit of a surprise to me. It's not that in Spain we don't ask what someone does for a living when we meet them, but it usually comes a wee bit later once you, you build some rapport with the person. But don't worry, it's totally fine to ask someone the que kuras? What do you do for a living? Or for work at the beginning if you wish. That's totally fine. And finally, I couldn't finish this video without mentioning Kuro. So Kuro, apart from meaning work, was also the name of the mascot for the 1992 World Expo that took place in Sevilla. I used to have a staff toy of Kuro when I was little and I absolutely loved him. He actually became quite iconic in Spain and I would say most people still remember him. So when people mention Kuro, who knows, they might not just be talking about work, they could be talking about the Expo mascot too. Muy bien. Estudendo entes antes de acabar agamos un pequeno resumen. A short Summary so now you know that curro is a slang word for work used in Spain, but It's also the 1992 Expo mascot. You've also learned derived words such as the verb curar, which means to work, and curante worker or hard worker, depending on the context. You know that in Mexico people use chamba for work or the verb chamber to say to work. And in Argentina you'll hear laburo work or the verb laburar to work. And finally, you've picked up a cultural difference about asking people what they do for a living. When you meet them. Por mi parte, remember that. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to receive free Spanish mini lessons into your inbox@cofibrekspanish.com and you can also subscribe to our coffee break Spanish YouTube channel where you'll find lots of content a questas esperando Bueno pues more Muchas gracias por avermes cuchado y estala proxima Adios y happy. Coffee breakin.
- [08:06]
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You have been listening to a Coffee Break Languages Production for the Radiolingua Network. Copyright 2026 Radiolingua Ltd. Recording Copyright 2026 Radiolingua Limited all rights reserved.
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Experian now more people than ever can bring in their bill for a better deal at Verizon. Got AT&T or T Mobile? We got you Xfinity or Spectrum.
- [09:03]
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You too.
- [09:03]
B
So tell your friends, your family, your quirky neighbor Jeff, grab your megaphone and yell it from the rooftop. Get a better deal at Verizon because chances are anyone in shop routing distance is included. Bring in your at&t, t Mobile, Xfinity or Spectrum bill and we'll give you a better deal on the best network come by Verizon today. Best Network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd/2025 all rights reserved. Must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.