trabajar

to work

verb trah-bah-HAHR Common

Origin: From Vulgar Latin tripaliare (to torture), from tripalium (a three-staked instrument).

Also means

to function

Usage Note

Trabajar covers both human labor and the functioning of machines or systems (el motor no trabaja bien = the engine isn't working well), though funcionar is preferred for devices. The noun trabajo (work, job) shares the same root. Trabajador/trabajadora means 'worker' or 'hardworking'.

Examples

"Trabaja en una empresa de tecnología."

Natural Translation

He works at a technology company.

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