Ele trabalha como professor.

He works as a teacher.

Breakdown of Ele trabalha como professor.

• ele: he
• trabalhar: to work
• o professor: the teacher
• como: as

Questions & Answers about Ele trabalha como professor.

Why does the sentence start with ele if Portuguese verbs already show the subject?

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending in -a (trabalha) already tells you it’s third-person singular. You can omit ele (just say Trabalha como professor), but native speakers often include the pronoun for clarity, emphasis or contrast.

What tense and person is trabalha, and how do you conjugate trabalhar in the present?

trabalha is the present indicative, third-person singular of the regular -ar verb trabalhar. In Brazilian Portuguese you’ll see:

• eu trabalho
• tu trabalhas
• ele/ela trabalha
• nós trabalhamos
• vocês trabalham
• eles/elas trabalham

Here, ele trabalha means “he works.”

Why is como used here, and what does it mean?

In this context, como means “as.” The phrase trabalhar como indicates the capacity or role someone has: “to work as (a teacher).”

Can I say Ele trabalha de professor instead of trabalhar como professor?

Standard Brazilian Portuguese uses trabalhar como + profession. Saying trabalhar de + profession is colloquial and regionally limited—you might hear it informally, but trabalhar como is the correct, neutral choice.

Why isn’t there an article before professor? Would um professor be wrong?

When you state a profession after ser or trabalhar como, Portuguese usually omits the indefinite article. So you say Ele é professor or Ele trabalha como professor. Adding um isn’t wrong but can imply “one among many” or focus on “one particular teacher” rather than the job itself.

Could I simply say Ele é professor instead? What’s the nuance?

Yes. Ele é professor uses ser to define his profession: “He is a teacher.” Ele trabalha como professor uses trabalhar to describe what he does for work: “He works as a teacher.” The difference is subtle—one states identity, the other highlights the action.

If the person were a woman, how would you change the sentence?

You’d switch both the pronoun and the noun’s gender:
Ela trabalha como professora.

How do you pronounce trabalha, especially the lh, and where is the stress in professor?

• trabalha is pronounced “trah-BAH-lyah.” The lh sounds like the “lli” in English “million.”
• professor is pronounced “pro-feh-SOR,” with the stress on the last syllable.

How would you ask “What does he do?” in Portuguese?

You can say O que ele faz? (literally “What does he do?”) or more colloquially O que ele faz da vida? (“What does he do for a living?”).