A cheerful person sitting at a small wooden workbench, actively hammering a nail into a wooden object, symbolizing the ongoing action of 'working'.

trabajando

/tra-ba-HAN-do/

GerundA1

working?describing an ongoing action

Also:by working?explaining how something is achieved

Quick Reference

infinitivetrabajar

gerundtrabajando

past Participletrabajado

📝 In Action

Estoy trabajando en mi oficina.

I am working in my office.

Ella pasó toda la tarde trabajando en el proyecto.

She spent the whole afternoon working on the project.

Aprendió mucho trabajando con expertos.

He learned a lot by working with experts.

Seguimos trabajando para mejorar el servicio.

We keep working to improve the service.

Word Connections

Synonyms

laborando (laboring (more formal))
currando (working (slang, Spain))

Antonyms

descansando (resting)
holgazaneando (lazing around)

Common Collocations

estar trabajando – to be working
seguir trabajando – to keep working / to still be working
continuar trabajando – to continue working
pasar el día trabajando – to spend the day working

💡 Grammar Points

The Spanish '-ing' Form

'Trabajando' is the Spanish equivalent of adding '-ing' to 'work' in English. It shows that an action is in progress. You'll most often use it with the verb 'estar' to say what is happening right now, like 'Estoy trabajando' (I am working).

Explaining 'How' with '-ando'

Besides talking about actions in progress, you can use 'trabajando' to explain how something is done. For example, 'Gana dinero trabajando' means 'He earns money by working.'

❌ Common Pitfalls

Not a Noun

Mistake: "Me gusta trabajando."

Correction: Me gusta trabajar. In English, you can say 'I like working,' where 'working' acts like a noun. In Spanish, you can't do this. To talk about an activity in general, always use the full verb form (the infinitive), like 'trabajar'.

Missing 'Estar'

Mistake: "Yo trabajando ahora."

Correction: Yo estoy trabajando ahora. To say 'I am working,' you need the helper verb 'estar' ('estoy'). Leaving it out is like saying 'I working now' in English—it's incomplete.

⭐ Usage Tips

Show Continuity

Pair 'trabajando' with verbs like 'seguir' or 'continuar' to express that an action is still going on. 'Sigo trabajando' means 'I'm still working' or 'I continue to work'.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: trabajando

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'trabajando' to describe an ongoing action?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

trabajar(to work) - verb

trabajo(work, job) - noun

trabajador(worker (male)) - noun

trabajadora(worker (female)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'trabajo' and 'trabajando'?

'Trabajo' can be a noun meaning 'job' or 'work' (Mi trabajo es difícil), or it's the 'I' form of the verb ('Yo trabajo' - I work). 'Trabajando' is the '-ing' form that describes an action in progress, almost always with a helper verb like 'estar' ('Estoy trabajando' - I am working).

Is 'trabajando' a verb?

Yes, it's a special form of the verb 'trabajar' called a gerund or present participle. It's a verb form, but it can't be the main verb of a sentence by itself. It needs a helper verb like 'estar' (to be) or 'seguir' (to keep) to work.