Spanish Proficiency Exercises
Describe your parent's or a relative's work.


Simplified and native speakers:

• Simplified Example
• Beatriz T.
• Alejandro G.
• Regina R.
• María F.
• Fernando C.

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• Simplified Example
• Beatriz T.
• Alejandro G.
• Regina R.
• María F.

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Key vocabulary for this task


Example phrases for this task


Grammar points for this task

Simplified Example
"Aunque mis padres ya están jubilados..."
Beatriz T.
México, D.F.
"Mi papá es encuadernador..."
Alejandro G.
Perú, Lima
"Mis padres ahora ya no trabajan..."
Regina R.
Perú, Lima
"Mi papá, él es peruano y él es diplomático..."
María F.
España, Valladolid
"Mis padres viven en España..."
abogado (m/f)   lawyer
bombero (m/f)   firefighter
camarero (m/f)   waiter/waitress
cientista (m/f)   scientist
dentista (m/f)   dentist
dependiente (m/f)   clerk
enfermero (m/f)   nurse
hombre/mujer de negocios   businessman/woman
mecánico (m/f)   mechanic
médico (m/f)   doctor
periodista (m/f)   journalist
piloto (m/f)   pilot
policía (m)   police
profesor (m/f)   professor
vendedor (m/f)   salesperson
Mis padres están jubilados desde hace varios años. My parents have been retired for a few years.
Ellos dedicaron sus vidas a oficios muy interesantes. They dedicated their lived to very interesting occupations.
Trabajaban arduamente. Su trabajo era duro pero agradable. They worked arduously. Their work was hard but pleasant.
Me enseñaron los secretos de sus trabajos y ahora yo puedo hacer lo que ellos hacía para vivir. They showed me the secrets of their jobs, and now I can do what they did to make a living.
Mis padres eran dueños de un negocio pequeño. Eran microempresarios. My parents were owners of a small business. They were small-business managers.
Regular AR verbs: Present Tense

The verb "HABLAR" (to speak) is what we call a regular AR verb. The infinitive form ends in AR and means "to speak." You conjugate the verb by taking off the AR ending and adding new endings that correspond to the person (yo, tú, él, etc.).

yo hablo I speak
  tú hablas you speak
  usted habla you (formal) speak
  él/ella habla he/she speaks
  nosotros hablamos we speak
  vosotros habláis you (plural) speak
  ustedes hablan you (plural, formal) speak
  ellos/ellas hablan they speak

Examples:

There are many verbs that follow the same pattern. Some of the more common ones are listed as follows:

ayudar to help
  cantar to sing
  comprar to buy
  enseñar to teach
  estudiar to study
  llamar to call
  llegar to arrive
  preguntar to ask about
  tocar to play, touch
  trabajar to work
  visitar to visit

Regular ER verbs: Present Tense

The verb "COMER" (to eat) is what we call a regular ER verb. The infinitive form ends in ER and means "to eat." Just like AR verbs, you conjugate the verb by taking off the ER ending and adding new endings that correspond to the person (yo, tú, él, etc.).

yo como I eat
  tú comes you eat
  usted come you (formal) eat
  él/ella come he/she eats
  nosotros comemos we eat
  vosotros coméis you (plural) eat
  ustedes comen you (plural, formal) eat
  ellos/ellas comen they eat

Examples:

There are many verbs that follow the same pattern. Some of the more common ones are listed as follows:

aprender to learn
  beber to drink
  comprender to understand
  correr to run
  creer to believe
  leer to read
  vender to sell

Regular IR verbs: Present Tense

The verb "VIVIR" (to live) is what we call a regular IR verb. The infinitive form ends in IR and means "to live." Just like AR and ER verbs, you conjugate the verb by taking off the ER ending and adding new endings that correspond to the person (yo, tú, él, etc.).

yo vivo I live
  tú vives you live
  usted vive you (formal) live
  él/ella vive he/she lives
  nosotros vivimos we eat
  vosotros vivís you (plural) live
  ustedes viven you (plural, formal) live
  ellos/ellas viven they live

Examples:

There are many verbs that follow the same pattern. Some of the more common ones are listed as follows:

abrir to open
  asistir to attend
  descobrir to discover
  escribir to write
  recibir to receive