Talking about your job is one of the most common conversation topics in Italian. Whether you’re meeting new people, traveling, networking, or practicing everyday conversation, knowing how to describe professions in Italian is extremely useful.

In this lesson, you’ll learn common Italian job titles and useful phrases to help you speak naturally about work and careers.

Common Italian Question

Che lavoro fai?
(What is your job?)

Basic Italian Job Vocabulary

L’insegnante — Teacher
Il dottore — Doctor
L’avvocato — Lawyer
L’ingegnere — Engineer
Il cuoco — Chef / Cook
L’attore / L’attrice — Actor / Actress
Il cameriere / La cameriera — Waiter / Waitress
L’artista — Artist
Lo scrittore / La scrittrice — Writer
L’infermiere / L’infermiera — Nurse
Il poliziotto — Police Officer
Il pompiere — Firefighter
L’idraulico — Plumber
Il fotografo — Photographer
Il barista / La barista — Barista
Il traduttore / La traduttrice — Translator
Il professore / La professoressa — Professor
Il meccanico — Mechanic
Lo psicologo / La psicologa — Psychologist
Il pittore / La pittrice — Painter

This lesson is perfect for beginners who want to improve their Italian conversation skills and build useful real-world vocabulary for travel and everyday situations.