Trabajar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Trabajar in Spanish

Trabajar means “to work,” “to do a job,” or “to work on something.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation and key patterns for workplaces, professions, schedules, and projects.

Trabajar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. Trabajar keeps the stable stem trabaj- and takes ordinary -AR endings. Its gerund trabajando — “working” — and participle trabajado — “worked” — are regular.

Trabajar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle trabajado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	trabajar	to work
Gerund	trabajando	working
Past participle	trabajado	worked

Trabajar meaning and essential uses

Trabajar is commonly intransitive for doing physical or intellectual work: Trabajo mucho. — “I work a lot.” RAE also records paid employment: Trabajo en una empresa. — “I work at a company.”

Use trabajar como / de for a profession, trabajar en for a place or field, trabajar para for an employer or purpose, and trabajar en algo for a project or task.

Trabajar regular conjugation pattern

The stem trabaj- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as trabajo — “I work,” trabajé — “I worked,” and trabaje — “that I work” — use ordinary -AR endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Trabajar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Trabajar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajo	I work
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajas	you work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabaja	he / she works; you work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajamos	we work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajáis	you work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajan	they work; you work (plural)

• Trabajo en una empresa tecnológica. — I work at a technology company.

Trabajar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajé	I worked
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajaste	you worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajó	he / she worked; you worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajamos	we worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajasteis	you worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajaron	they worked; you worked (plural)

• Ayer trabajé hasta tarde. — Yesterday I worked until late.

Trabajar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajaba	I used to work / was working
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajabas	you used to work / were working
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajaba	he / she used to work / was working; you used to work / were working (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajábamos	we used to work / were working
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajabais	you used to work / were working (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajaban	they used to work / were working; you used to work / were working (plural)

• Antes trabajaba los fines de semana. — I used to work on weekends.

Trabajar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus trabajando — “working.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy trabajando	I am working
Tú — you, singular informal	estás trabajando	you are working
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está trabajando	he / she is working; you are working (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos trabajando	we are working
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis trabajando	you are working (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están trabajando	they are working; you are working (plural)

• Estoy trabajando en un nuevo proyecto. — I am working on a new project.

Trabajar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and trabajar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a trabajar	I am going to work
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a trabajar	you are going to work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a trabajar	he / she is going to work; you are going to work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a trabajar	we are going to work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a trabajar	you are going to work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a trabajar	they are going to work; you are going to work (plural)

• Voy a trabajar desde casa mañana. — I am going to work from home tomorrow.

Trabajar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajaré	I will work
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajarás	you will work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajará	he / she will work; you will work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajaremos	we will work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajaréis	you will work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajarán	they will work; you will work (plural)

• Trabajaremos juntos la próxima semana. — We will work together next week.

Trabajar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajaría	I would work
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajarías	you would work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajaría	he / she would work; you would work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajaríamos	we would work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajaríais	you would work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajarían	they would work; you would work (plural)

• Trabajaría menos horas si pudiera. — I would work fewer hours if I could.

Trabajar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he trabajado	I have worked
Tú — you, singular informal	has trabajado	you have worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha trabajado	he / she has worked; you have worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos trabajado	we have worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis trabajado	you have worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han trabajado	they have worked; you have worked (plural)

• He trabajado mucho esta semana. — I have worked a lot this week.

Trabajar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había trabajado	I had worked
Tú — you, singular informal	habías trabajado	you had worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había trabajado	he / she had worked; you had worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos trabajado	we had worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais trabajado	you had worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían trabajado	they had worked; you had worked (plural)

• Ya habíamos trabajado juntos antes. — We had already worked together before.

Trabajar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré trabajado	I will have worked
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás trabajado	you will have worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá trabajado	he / she will have worked; you will have worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos trabajado	we will have worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis trabajado	you will have worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán trabajado	they will have worked; you will have worked (plural)

• Para entonces habrán trabajado diez horas. — By then they will have worked ten hours.

Trabajar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría trabajado	I would have worked
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías trabajado	you would have worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría trabajado	he / she would have worked; you would have worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos trabajado	we would have worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais trabajado	you would have worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían trabajado	they would have worked; you would have worked (plural)

• Habría trabajado desde casa con mal tiempo. — I would have worked from home in bad weather.

Trabajar subjunctive conjugations

Trabajar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabaje	that I work
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajes	that you work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabaje	that he / she work; that you work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajemos	that we work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajéis	that you work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajen	that they work; that you work (plural)

• Quiero que trabajes con cuidado. — I want you to work carefully.

Trabajar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajara	that I worked
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajaras	that you worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajara	that he / she worked; that you worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajáramos	that we worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajarais	that you worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajaran	that they worked; that you worked (plural)

• Preferían que trabajáramos por la mañana. — They preferred that we work in the morning.
• Era mejor que trabajases con otro equipo. — It was better for you to work with another team.

Trabajar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms belong mainly to formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical registers.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	trabajare	if / when I should work
Tú — you, singular informal	trabajares	if / when you should work
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	trabajare	if / when he / she should work; if / when you should work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	trabajáremos	if / when we should work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajareis	if / when you should work (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	trabajaren	if / when they should work; if / when you should work (plural)

• Quien trabajare en esta área deberá cumplir las normas de seguridad. — Whoever should work in this area must comply with safety rules.

Trabajar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya trabajado	that I have worked
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas trabajado	that you have worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya trabajado	that he / she has worked; that you have worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos trabajado	that we have worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis trabajado	that you have worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan trabajado	that they have worked; that you have worked (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas trabajado con nosotros. — I am glad that you worked with us.

Trabajar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera trabajado	that I had worked
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras trabajado	that you had worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera trabajado	that he / she had worked; that you had worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos trabajado	that we had worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais trabajado	that you had worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran trabajado	that they had worked; that you had worked (plural)

• Si hubiera trabajado menos horas, habría descansado más. — If I had worked fewer hours, I would have rested more.
• Si hubieses trabajado en ese proyecto, conocerías el sistema. — If you had worked on that project, you would know the system.

Trabajar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus invariant trabajado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere trabajado	if / when I should have worked
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres trabajado	if / when you should have worked
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere trabajado	if / when he / she should have worked; if / when you should have worked (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos trabajado	if / when we should have worked
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis trabajado	if / when you should have worked (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren trabajado	if / when they should have worked; if / when you should have worked (plural)

• Si hubieren trabajado fuera del horario normal, deberán registrarlo. — If they should have worked outside normal hours, they must record it.

Trabajar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Trabajar affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	trabaja	work
Usted — you, singular formal	trabaje	work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	trabajemos	let’s work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	trabajad	work (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	trabajen	work (plural)

• Trabaja con calma. — Work calmly.

Trabajar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no trabajes	do not work
Usted — you, singular formal	no trabaje	do not work (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no trabajemos	let’s not work
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no trabajéis	do not work (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no trabajen	do not work (plural)

• No trabajes sin descansar. — Do not work without resting.

Common constructions with Trabajar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• trabajar en + place / field / project. — to work in / at / on a place, field, or project.
• trabajar para + employer or purpose. — to work for an employer or purpose.
• trabajar como / de + profession. — to work as a profession.
• trabajar con + person / tool / material. — to work with someone or something.

Example sentences with Trabajar

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Trabajo como periodista. — I work as a journalist.
• Ella trabaja para una organización internacional. — She works for an international organization.
• Estamos trabajando en el informe. — We are working on the report.
• Espero que trabajes con nosotros. — I hope you work with us.
• Han trabajado aquí durante años. — They have worked here for years.
• Trabaja primero en la tarea más importante. — Work on the most important task first.

Regional and usage notes for Trabajar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos trabajás desde casa. — You work from home. (voseo)
• Trabajá con cuidado. — Work carefully. (affirmative vos command)

Trabajar is fully regular. Once the -AR endings are mastered, focus on the preposition that identifies the workplace, employer, profession, project, collaborators, tools, or materials involved in the work.