trabajando
“trabajando” means “working” in Spanish (describing an ongoing action).
working
Also: by working
📝 In Action
Estoy trabajando en mi oficina.
A1I am working in my office.
Ella pasó toda la tarde trabajando en el proyecto.
A2She spent the whole afternoon working on the project.
Aprendió mucho trabajando con expertos.
B1He learned a lot by working with experts.
Seguimos trabajando para mejorar el servicio.
B1We keep working to improve the service.
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: trabajando
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'trabajando' to describe an ongoing action?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
This word is the gerund form of 'trabajar'. The verb itself has a surprising origin from the Late Latin 'tripaliāre', which means 'to torture'. This came from 'tripalium', a three-staked instrument of torture. Over centuries, the meaning softened from 'to suffer or toil' to simply 'to work'.
First recorded: The root verb 'trabajar' appeared around the 13th century.
Cognates (Related words)
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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.