Breakdown of La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio.
Questions & Answers about La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio.
In Spanish, the article shows the gender of many profession nouns that end in -ista.
- la periodista = the (female) journalist
- el periodista = the (male) journalist
The word periodista itself does not change; it’s the article (el / la) that tells you if we are talking about a man or a woman. In this sentence, la periodista tells us the journalist is a woman.
Many profession/role nouns ending in -ista are the same for men and women:
- el artista / la artista (artist)
- el dentista / la dentista (dentist)
- el periodista / la periodista (journalist)
So we do not change periodista to periodisto. We only change the article (and any adjectives that describe the person):
- la periodista famosa (the famous female journalist)
- el periodista famoso (the famous male journalist)
Both exist, but they’re not identical in use:
- periodista = journalist (broader term; can write, research, report on TV, radio, online, etc.)
- reportera / reportero = reporter (someone who reports news, often on TV or on the scene)
In everyday Latin American Spanish, periodista is more common as the general profession. Reportera focuses on the specific role of reporting, especially in news media.
Trabaja is the third person singular form of trabajar (to work) in the simple present:
- yo trabajo – I work
- tú trabajas – you work
- él / ella / usted trabaja – he / she / you (formal) work
We are talking about la periodista (she), so we must use trabaja:
- La periodista trabaja… = The (female) journalist works…
Trabajar is the infinitive (to work), so it can’t be used alone here as the main verb.
Trabaja can mean both, depending on context:
- La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio.
→ She works at the neighborhood library (her regular job).
In Spanish, the simple present often covers both:
- trabaja ≈ “works” / “is working”
If you really need to stress “right now,” you can use the progressive:
- La periodista está trabajando en la biblioteca del barrio.
= The journalist is working in the neighborhood library (right now).
Different prepositions give different meanings:
trabaja en la biblioteca
= she works in/at the library (her workplace, physical location)trabaja para la biblioteca
= she works for the library (the library is her employer or client; focus on who she works for, not where she is physically)
We don’t use a here; a typically indicates direction/movement (to):
- Va a la biblioteca. = She goes to the library.
So for “works at/in the library,” en is the natural choice: trabaja en la biblioteca.
No—this is a classic false friend:
- biblioteca = library (a place where you borrow or consult books)
- librería = bookstore / bookshop (a place where you buy books)
So:
- La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca.
= The journalist works in the library, not in a bookstore.
In Spanish, definite articles (el, la, los, las) are used more often than “the” in English, especially for specific places:
- la biblioteca = the library (a specific one)
- trabaja en la biblioteca ≈ she works at the library
Leaving out the article (trabaja en biblioteca) sounds incomplete or wrong in this context. You would normally only drop the article in set expressions (e.g. ir a misa, go to mass) or headlines/notes.
Del is a contraction of de + el:
- de = of / from
- el = the (masculine singular article)
So:
- de + el barrio → del barrio
- la biblioteca del barrio = the library of the neighborhood / the neighborhood’s library
You must use the contraction del, not de el (which is grammatically incorrect).
In most of Latin America, barrio basically means neighborhood: a local residential area inside a town or city.
Nuances:
- It can be neutral: just a part of the city.
- In some countries or contexts, barrio can suggest a working‑class or humble area, but not always.
Related words:
- vecindario = neighborhood (more about the group of neighbors/area; a bit more formal or neutral)
- In parts of Mexico, colonia is also used for “neighborhood” in addresses and everyday speech.
In this sentence, la biblioteca del barrio is simply the local neighborhood library.
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible, especially with location phrases:
- La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio.
- En la biblioteca del barrio trabaja la periodista.
Both are correct. The second version starts with the place and can sound more descriptive or emphatic about where this happens, but the basic meaning is the same.
In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows the subject.
Here, the subject is explicitly la periodista, so ella is not needed:
- La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio.
= She (the journalist) works in the neighborhood library.
If you added ella as well (Ella la periodista trabaja…), it would sound wrong or at least very strange in standard Spanish. You could say:
- Ella trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio. (She works…)
- La periodista trabaja en la biblioteca del barrio. (The journalist works…)
…but not both together in that position.
Verbs in Spanish do not change for gender, only for person and number:
- él trabaja – he works
- ella trabaja – she works
Same verb form: trabaja.
Gender shows up in:
- articles: el / la, los / las
- adjectives: famoso / famosa, cansado / cansada
- some nouns: profesor / profesora
So trabaja doesn’t look feminine or masculine. La periodista is what tells us the subject is feminine here.