A cartoon illustration of an engineer or architect wearing a yellow hard hat and holding a blue rolled-up blueprint, symbolizing a job requiring specialized training.

profesión

pro-fe-SYOHN

nounfA1

profession?a job requiring specialized training,occupation?general term for one's job

Also:career?long-term path of work

📝 In Action

Mi hermana eligió la abogacía como profesión.

My sister chose law as a profession.

¿Cuál es tu profesión? Necesito saber para el formulario.

What is your occupation? I need to know for the form.

Es una profesión muy demandante, pero gratificante.

It is a very demanding, but rewarding, career.

Word Connections

Synonyms

carrera (career, course of study)
oficio (trade, craft (often skilled manual labor))
ocupación (occupation, job)

Common Collocations

ejercer una profesión – to practice a profession
cambiar de profesión – to change careers

💡 Grammar Points

Feminine Gender Rule

Remember that almost all Spanish nouns that end in the letters -sión (like 'profesión') are feminine. You must use 'la' or 'una' with them.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Gender Error

Mistake: "El profesión"

Correction: La profesión. Since it ends in -sión, it is feminine.

⭐ Usage Tips

Asking about work

While you can ask '¿Cuál es tu profesión?', it's often more common and slightly less formal to ask '¿A qué te dedicas?' (What do you do for a living?) or '¿En qué trabajas?' (What do you work in?).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: profesión

Question 1 of 2

Which word is the most formal way to ask someone what they do for a living?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

profesional(professional) - adjective/noun

profesar(to profess, to practice (a faith or skill)) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'profesión' and 'carrera'?

'Profesión' is the job or occupation itself (like being a doctor). 'Carrera' can mean the university degree you study to get that job (e.g., medical school) OR the entire path of work you follow throughout your life (your career).