Let’s talk about people, jobs and professions. These words and phrases will help you when talking about yourself and others, or when you’re planning to apply for a new job abroad.

This lesson is part of the chapter “Learning Arabic“.

People & Professions in Arabic

Previous lesson:

Next lesson:

People

EnglishArabicArabic
(Romanization)
Pronunciation
(Audio)
human (being) / personإنسان
شخص
ensan
shakhs

people / humansأشخاص
ناس
بشر
ashkhas
nas
bashar [1]


womanامرأةemra'h
manرجلrajol
childطفلtefl
girlفتاة
بنت
fatah
bent

boyغلام
ولد
gholam
walad

Professions

EnglishArabicArabic
(Romanization)
Pronunciation
(Audio)
professionمهنةmehnah
employee / workerعامل, عاملةa'amel (m), a'amelah (f)
clerk / officialموظف, موظفةmowazaf (m), mowazafah (f) [2]
colleagueزميل, زميلةzameel (m), zameelah (f)
pensioner / retireeمتقاعد عن العمل, متقاعدة عن العملmotaqae'd a'n el-a'mal (m), motaqae'dah a'n el-a'mal (f)
unemployed person / jobseekerعاطل, عاطلة
باحث عن العمل, باحثة عن العمل
a'tel (m), a'telah (f)
baheth a'n a'mal (m), bahethah a'n a'mal (f)

doctorطبيب, طبيبةtabeeb (m), tabeebah (f)
journalistصحفي, صحفيةsahafy (m), sahafeyah (f)
engineerمهندس, مهندسةmohandes (m), mohandesah (f)
bossرئيس العمل, رئيسة العملraees al-a'mal (m), raeesat al-a'mal (f)
directorمدير, مديرةmodeer (m), modeerah (f)
managerمدير, مديرةmodeer (m), modeerah (f)
secretaryسكرتير, سكرتيرةsecerteer (m), secerteerah (f)
driverسائق, سائقةsae'q (m), sae'qah (f)
farmerمزارع, مزارعة
فلاح, فلاحة
mozare' (m), mozare'ah (f)
falah (m), falahah (f)

bakerخباز, خبازةkhabbaz (m), khabbazah (f)
salesman (m), saleswoman (f)موظف مبيعات, موظفة مبيعاتmowazaf mabe'at (m), mozafat mabe'at (f)
nurseممرض, ممرضةmomared (m), momaredah (f)
policeman (m), policewoman (f)شرطي, شرطيةshorty (m), shorteyah (f)
cook / chefطاه, طاهيةtahi (m), taheyah (f)
teacher (m), female teacher (f)معلم, معلمةmoa'lem (m), moa'lemah (f)
shoemaker [Sg]إسكافي
صانع الأحذية
eskafy
sane' ahdeyah

shoemakers [Pl]صانعي الأحذيةsane'y al-ahdeyah
watchmaker [Sg] ساعاتي
صانع الساعات
sa'aty
sane' sa'at

watchmakers [Pl]صانعي الساعاتsane'y al-sa'at

Work & Application

EnglishArabicArabic
(Romanization)
Pronunciation
(Audio)
(to) workعَمَلa'mal
work / jobعمل
وظيفة
a'mal
wazefah

workplaceمكان العملmakan al-a'mal
employment / occupationتعيين
توظيف
tae'en
tawzeef

officeمكتبmaktab
factoryمصنعmasna'
construction siteموقع بناءmawqe' bena'
salaryراتبrateb
(to) earnكَسَبَ
رَبَحَ
kasab
rabah

(to) look for a jobبَحَثَ عن عملbahath a'n a'mal
(to) find a jobوَجَدَ عملاًwagad a'malan
job interviewمقابلة التقدم للعملmoqabalat al taqadom lel a'mal
CVسيرة ذاتيةserah dzateyah
educationتعليمta'leem
experienceخبرةkhebrah

Notes:

1 All three are synonyms. Arabic doesn't differentiate much between 'people' and 'humans' when talking about a general topic. The only case it does is when talking about humanity or biology, and if that is the case بشر is used to express human behavior that is different or opposite to 'animal', حيوان.2 Employee, clerk, and official share the same translation of موظف.

Vocabulary trainer: People & Professions in Arabic

How do you say
boss
in Arabic?

Correct answers: 0Wrong answers: 0

Vocabulary trainer: all lessons

App2Brain vocabulary trainer

Use our free online vocabulary trainer to learn these and many other useful Arabic words and phrases

Open vocabulary trainer

Download this lesson

App2Brain vocabulary trainer

If you want to learn Arabic offline you can download our free cheat sheet with all the words and phrases in this lesson

Download the free PDF

Previous lesson:

Next lesson:

Beginners guide to learning languages

Download your free language learning guide

Our free 18-page PDF ebook will teach you how to:

  • Get (and stay) motivated learning a new language
  • Achieve 80% of your goals with only 20% of the effort
  • Make your learning experience more fun than ever

Download the free ebook

Latest posts from our language learning blog

[fusion_recent_posts layout=’thumbnails-on-side’ hover_type=’none’ columns=’2′ number_posts=’6′ thumbnail=’yes’ title=’yes’ meta=’yes’ excerpt=’yes’ excerpt_length=’15’ strip_html=’yes’ hide_on_mobile=’no’ animation_type=’none’][/fusion_recent_posts]