Professions

Professions in Italian

In this lesson, you will learn how to talk about different jobs and professions in Italian. Professions often change their endings based on gender (masculine and feminine) and typically take masculine or feminine singular articles like il, la, or l'.

Key Rules

• Use il or l' for masculine professions (e.g., il cuoco, l'avvocato).
• Use la or l' for feminine professions (e.g., la cuoca, l'avvocatessa).
• To say what someone does for a living, use the verb fare (to do/make) with the indefinite article: faccio l'infermiere (I am a nurse).

Examples

Common Mistake: Do not use articles before professions when just introducing your job with essere (e.g., say Sono medico instead of Sono un medico, though both are used, omitting the article is very common).