Labori is the regular, normally intransitive verb for doing work, having employment, or making a sustained effort toward a result. Esperanto does not let the English noun after “work” become a direct object automatically: you laboras pri projekto, por organizaĵo, ĉe hospitalo, or kiel kuracisto, depending on the relationship you want to express.
The complete paradigm
The stem labor- takes the six ordinary verb endings without any change. A finite Esperanto verb never agrees with person or number.
| Form | Core value | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| labori | infinitive | to work |
| laboras | present | work, works |
| laboris | past | worked, was working |
| laboros | future | will work |
| laborus | conditional | would work |
| laboru | volitive | work!, let … work |
Mi laboras hejme tri tagojn semajne.
I work from home three days a week.
Ĉu vi laboros morgaŭ? — Ne, mi finfine havos liberan tagon.
Will you work tomorrow? — No, I’ll finally have a day off.
Laboris covers both English “worked” and “was working”; adverbs and context show duration. Laborus is conditional, not past. The volitive laboru is common in instructions, encouragement, and wishes.
Mi laborus malpli, se la luprezo ne estus tiel alta.
I would work less if the rent were not so high.
Laboru laŭ via ritmo, sed ne maltrafu la limdaton.
Work at your own pace, but don’t miss the deadline.
Labori is normally intransitive
The basic verb describes the activity of working without directly acting on a grammatical object. You can simply say Mi laboras, then add adverbs, time expressions, locations, tools, or prepositional complements.
Ŝi laboris la tutan matenon sen paŭzo.
She worked all morning without a break.
Here la tutan matenon is an accusative expression of duration, not a direct object. The morning is not something she “worked.” Likewise, labori multe, labori zorge, and labori nokte modify the activity.
English can say “work a job,” “work a case,” or “work the land.” Plain Esperanto labori does not freely copy those transitive patterns. Use a prepositional frame or a derived verb: labori pri kazo, prilabori dokumenton, kultivi la teron.
La redaktoro nun prilaboras la lastan ĉapitron.
The editor is now working on the final chapter.
The prefix-like pri- changes the valency: labori pri la ĉapitro is intransitive plus a topic phrase, whereas prilabori la ĉapitron is transitive and presents the chapter as the material being worked on. This is one instance of the wider system explained under verb–preposition frames.
Profession and workplace
Use kiel to name the capacity or professional role in which someone works. Use ĉe for an employer, institution, or workplace understood as an organization; use en for a physical place or field.
Mia frato laboras kiel fizioterapiisto en sporta kliniko.
My brother works as a physiotherapist in a sports clinic.
Mi laboras ĉe malgranda eldonejo en la urbocentro.
I work for a small publishing house downtown.
Mi estas instruisto identifies your profession. Mi laboras kiel instruisto emphasizes the job or capacity. English “work as” maps neatly to labori kiel, but English “work at/for a company” may become either ĉe kompanio or por kompanio. Ĉe locates your professional affiliation; por presents the company as the beneficiary or client. The meanings often overlap in real employment.
Ŝi laboras por internacia firmao, sed nun ŝi laboras ĉe la filio en Prago.
She works for an international company, but she is currently working at the Prague branch.
Por: beneficiary, employer, cause, or goal
Labori por answers “for whose benefit?” or “toward what goal?” It can name an employer, client, social cause, project goal, or person supported by the work.
Ni laboras por pli sekura publika transporto.
We are working for safer public transportation.
Li laboras por si mem kiel sendependa tradukisto.
He works for himself as a freelance translator.
When por introduces an infinitive, it states purpose: Mi laboras por pagi la studojn de mia filino “I work in order to pay for my daughter’s studies.” That is not the same structure as labori por firmao, but the common core is orientation toward a beneficiary or goal.
Do not assume that por means every English “on.” If you mean the subject matter receiving attention, use pri.
Pri: the task or subject under work
Labori pri presents the matter, problem, text, design, or project that occupies the worker’s attention.
La teamo laboras pri nova versio de la retejo.
The team is working on a new version of the website.
Mi ankoraŭ laboras pri la buĝeto; ĝi ne estas preta.
I’m still working on the budget; it isn’t ready.
In older texts, labori super io sometimes occurs under the influence of other languages. PMEG explicitly recommends pri for the nonspatial meaning “work on/improve one’s knowledge of.” Modern learners should use pri or the transitive prilabori. Super keeps its normal spatial meaning when someone literally works above something.
Participles and compounds
Because ordinary labori is intransitive, its active participles are productive: laboranta “working,” laborinta “having worked,” and laboronta “about to work.” Passive laborata/laborita/laborota are not normal forms of this intransitive verb because there is no direct object to become a passive subject.
La laborantaj gepatroj petis pli flekseblajn horojn.
The working parents asked for more flexible hours.
For a processed object, use a transitive derivative: prilaborata propono “a proposal being worked on,” prilaborita teksto “an edited/processed text.” This preserves the valency difference rather than inventing a passive of plain labori.
The root forms an especially rich practical family:
| Form | Meaning | Valency or use |
|---|---|---|
| laboro | work, job, piece of work | serĉi laboron |
| laborado | working as an ongoing activity | longa laborado |
| laboranto | person currently working | participial person noun |
| laboristo | worker, especially by occupation | often manual or industrial |
| kunlabori | collaborate | kunlabori kun iu pri io |
| prilabori | work on, process, edit | transitive |
| ellabori | work out, develop fully | transitive |
| perlabori | earn through work | perlabori salajron |
Ni kunlaboras kun lokaj bibliotekoj pri la projekto.
We collaborate with local libraries on the project.
Ŝi perlaboras sian vivtenon per tradukado.
She earns her living through translation.
Do not treat every possible compound as equally conventional. Kunlabori, prilabori, ellabori, and perlabori are established and frequent; an improvised compound may be understandable without being the usual word.
Frequency and register
Labori is neutral and extremely frequent in conversation, journalism, and professional writing. The frames with pri, por, ĉe, and kiel are all standard. Prilabori and ellabori are particularly common in professional and (formal) project language but also occur in ordinary speech. Participial compounds such as estis laborinta are grammatical yet usually heavier than a simple laboris.
Common Mistakes
Copying a transitive English frame
❌ Mi laboras novan projekton.
Incorrect — plain labori does not take the project as a direct object.
✅ Mi laboras pri nova projekto.
I’m working on a new project.
Using por for the topic under development
❌ Ni laboras por la fina raporto.
Wrong if the report itself is what we are drafting; this suggests working for its benefit or goal.
✅ Ni laboras pri la fina raporto.
We’re working on the final report.
Copying nonspatial “on” as sur
❌ La programistoj laboras sur la aplikaĵo.
Incorrect as a literal transfer of English “work on.”
✅ La programistoj laboras pri la aplikaĵo.
The programmers are working on the app.
Making a profession a direct object
❌ Ŝi laboras arkitekton.
Incorrect — a professional role follows kiel.
✅ Ŝi laboras kiel arkitekto.
She works as an architect.
Forming a passive from intransitive labori
❌ La dokumento estas laborita nun.
Incorrect for “the document is being worked on” — plain labori has no object to passivize.
✅ La dokumento estas prilaborata nun.
The document is being worked on now.
Key Takeaways
Use labori without a direct object. Add kiel for a professional role, ĉe for workplace affiliation, por for a beneficiary or goal, and pri for the task or subject receiving attention. When the material itself must be a direct object, choose the conventional derivative prilabori. The family laboro, laboranto, kunlabori, ellabori, perlabori shows the root’s productive but systematic behavior.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Transitive and Intransitive VerbsA2 — Learn which verbs license a direct object, which require another construction, and how Esperanto systematically changes valency.
- Verb-Preposition FramesB1 — Learn which Esperanto verbs take direct objects and which select al, pri, de, kun, or je—and how the frame changes meaning.
- PorB2 — Use por for an intended beneficiary, purpose, use, result, exchange, or the goal toward which an action is directed.
- PriB2 — Use pri to mark a topic, concern, or matter that an action, text, thought, or relationship is about.
- -ist-: Profession, Habitual Activity, Or IdeologyB1 — Use -ist- for people characterized by a profession, repeated activity, specialty, or doctrine without treating it as a simple equivalent of English -ist.
- Vivi: To LiveB1 — Use vivi for being alive and leading a life, with manner, place, livelihood, and causative vivigi patterns.