How to Say "i worked" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “i worked” is “trabajé” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Ayer trabajé diez horas en la oficina.
Yesterday I worked ten hours in the office.
Trabajé mucho para terminar el proyecto a tiempo.
I worked hard to finish the project on time.
Cuando era estudiante, trabajé en un restaurante.
When I was a student, I worked in a restaurant.
The Preterite Tense
"Trabajé" is the simple past tense (called the Preterite) and is used for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past, like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.
The Accent is Essential
The accent mark over the 'é' is critical! It tells you that the action happened in the past and that the speaker is 'yo' (I). Without it, 'trabaje' means 'I work' or 'that I work' (a special verb form).
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Mistake: “Usando 'trabajaba' para una acción específica completada.”
Correction: Use 'trabajé' (Preterite) when you state exactly when the job was finished (e.g., 'I worked yesterday'). Use 'trabajaba' (Imperfect) for describing ongoing habits or background actions in the past (e.g., 'I used to work there').
Related Translations
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