Here are 60 Italian words for work and the office, from il lavoro to l'aumento di stipendio. Learn five first: il lavoro (job, work), l'ufficio (office), la riunione (meeting), il collega (colleague) and lo stipendio (salary). Then see which job words change for a woman, which ones are false friends, and how to say what you do.
- Words
- 60: people, places, money, verbs
- Variety
- Standard Italian
- Level
- A2–B1
- Read them in
- Contos stories (chapters 1–2 free)
60 Italian words for work
People are listed in the masculine; the first section shows the feminine forms. Phrases like inviare un'e-mail are given whole. The Contos web app uses this pack for flashcard review.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| il lavoro | job |
| l'ufficio | office |
| la riunione | meeting |
| il collega | colleague |
| il capo | boss |
| il manager | manager |
| la squadra | team |
| il progetto | project |
| la scadenza | deadline |
| l'e-mail | |
| la relazione | report |
| il contratto | contract |
| il cliente | client |
| l'azienda | company |
| lo stipendio | salary |
| il colloquio di lavoro | job interview |
| il curriculum | CV |
| la carriera | career |
| la presentazione | presentation |
| l'orario | schedule |
| il compito | task |
| il computer | computer |
| la stampante | printer |
| la telefonata | phone call |
| la pausa | break |
| la pausa pranzo | lunch break |
| le ferie | holiday |
| il giorno libero | day off |
| gli straordinari | overtime |
| assumere | to hire |
| candidarsi | to apply for a job |
| negoziare | to negotiate |
| firmare | to sign |
| licenziare | to fire |
| il budget | budget |
| il prezzo | price |
| la fattura | invoice |
| il profitto | profit |
| la vendita | sale |
| il servizio clienti | customer service |
| l'appuntamento | appointment |
| inviare un'e-mail | to send an email |
| impegnato | busy |
| esperto | experienced |
| professionale | professional |
| il dipendente | employee |
| il datore di lavoro | employer |
| dimettersi | to resign |
| la promozione | promotion |
| il documento | document |
| stampare | to print |
| la competenza | skill |
| l'esperienza | experience |
| il reparto | department |
| l'orario di lavoro | working hours |
| guadagnare | to earn |
| il viaggio di lavoro | business trip |
| il posto di lavoro | workplace |
| andare in pensione | to retire |
| l'aumento di stipendio | pay rise |
Il collega or la collega? Job words for men and women
Words for people at work change their article, and sometimes their ending, for a woman. Several look the same in both genders and only the article tells you who is meant.
| Man | Woman | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| il collega | la collega | i colleghi, le colleghe | colleague |
| il cliente | la cliente | i clienti, le clienti | client, customer |
| il dipendente | la dipendente | i dipendenti, le dipendenti | employee |
| il datore di lavoro | la datrice di lavoro | i datori di lavoro | employer |
| l'impiegato | l'impiegata | gli impiegati, le impiegate | office worker |
| il manager | la manager | i manager, le manager | manager |
Note the spelling in colleghi and colleghe: the h keeps the hard g sound. Il capo (the boss) usually stays masculine even for a woman; la capa is heard, but it is casual.
Durante la riunione con i colleghi, Giulia non ascolta niente.Borrowed words keep one form in the plural: il computer, i computer; il budget, i budget. L'e-mail is feminine (often shortened to la mail): ho ricevuto due e-mail.
Which Italian work words are false friends?
Several words in this list look like English ones and mean something else, or more than one thing.
- licenziare means to fire or dismiss someone, not to license. Dimettersi is to resign: mi sono dimesso.
- la fattura is an invoice. A factory is la fabbrica.
- la relazione is a report at work. It also means a relationship, but il rapporto is another word for report.
- il compito is a task, and at school it is homework (i compiti).
- le ferie are your paid days off work: sono in ferie (I'm on holiday). Le vacanze is holidays in general.
- la promozione is a promotion at work, and also a special offer in a shop.
- il lavoro covers both job and work: cerco lavoro (I'm looking for work), un posto di lavoro (a job, a position).
Lavora da casa con i libri e il computer.How do you say what you do for a living?
Italian has two ways to give your job. Faccio l'insegnante uses fare and the article; sono insegnante uses essere with no article. Both are normal.
Che lavoro fai?
What do you do for a living?
To someone you call Lei: Che lavoro fa?
Faccio l'architetto.
I'm an architect.
Adesso sono in riunione, ti richiamo dopo.
I'm in a meeting now, I'll call you back later.
Ti mando un'e-mail entro stasera.
I'll send you an email by this evening.
Ho fatto domanda per un nuovo lavoro.
I've applied for a new job.
Fare domanda is the everyday phrase; candidarsi, in the list, is more formal.
In Contos chapters, office life tends to arrive by phone at the worst possible moment. In this A1 comedy, a household robot has sent the wrong documents to the wrong person:
Il capo vuole parlare con te adesso!Read a short Italian story about office life and commuting: tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you ask "What do you do?" in Italian?
Che lavoro fai? to a friend, or Che lavoro fa? to someone you address as Lei. Answer with faccio + article + job (faccio il medico) or sono + job with no article (sono medico).
What is the difference between ferie and vacanze?
Le ferie are the paid days off you get from work: prendo due settimane di ferie. Le vacanze are holidays in general, including school holidays and trips. Andare in vacanza is to go on holiday.
Does licenziare mean to license?
No. Licenziare means to fire or lay off: l'azienda ha licenziato dieci persone. A licence is una licenza or, for driving, la patente. To resign is dimettersi.
Is e-mail masculine or feminine in Italian?
Feminine: l'e-mail, un'e-mail (with an apostrophe, as with any feminine noun before a vowel), often shortened to la mail. It does not change in the plural, so two emails are due e-mail. Mandare and inviare both mean to send.