Working As: Lavorare come
When discussing your job—or perhaps your cover identity for espionage—you have two main options in Italian. The first is the verb lavorare (to work) followed by come (as).
When using lavorare come, drop the article. State the profession directly after the word come without any definite or indefinite article (il, la, un, etc.).
| He works as a diplomat using a pseudonym to disguise his true identity. | Lavora come diplomatico usando uno pseudonimo per camuffare la sua vera identità. |
| The frontman works as an accountant for this fictitious company. | Il prestanome lavora come contabile per questa società fittizia. |
Acting As: Fare
The second, and very common, way to state a profession uses the verb fare (to do/make).
Unlike lavorare come, when you use fare to state a job, you must include a definite article (il, la, lo, l') before the profession. It translates literally to "doing the [profession]."
| She created a fictitious company and now acts as the accountant without getting noticed. | Ha creato un'azienda fittizia e ora fa la contabile senza farsi notare. |
| They created a fake job, so I work as a doctor as a cover. | Hanno creato un lavoro fittizio, quindi faccio il medico come copertura. |
Perfecting Your Cover
Both structures mean the same thing and are used interchangeably in daily conversation. When crafting an alias (uno pseudonimo) or acting as a frontman (il prestanome), you can confidently use either pattern: lavorare come + [profession] or fare + [article] + [profession].
| I don't want to work as an accountant with a pseudonym, nor act as a frontman. | Non voglio lavorare come contabile con uno pseudonimo, né fare il prestanome. |
| As a cover she used a pseudonym and acted as a journalist without saying anything. | Come copertura ha usato uno pseudonimo e ha fatto la giornalista senza dire niente. |