Greek2Me staff · Vocab
Greek Professions
Every Greek job word you're likely to need, from δάσκαλος (teacher) to γιατρός (doctor) to οδηγός (driver), with the masculine and feminine forms so you can talk about your own work or ask about someone else's.
| Greek | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Work in general | |||
| δουλειά | job / work | ||
| επάγγελμα | profession | ||
| Education | |||
| δάσκαλος / δασκάλα | primary school teacher (m / f) | ||
| καθηγητής / καθηγήτρια | secondary school teacher / professor | ||
| φοιτητής / φοιτήτρια | university student (m / f) | ||
| μαθητής / μαθήτρια | school student (m / f) | ||
| Health and law | |||
| γιατρός | doctorsame word for m and f | ||
| νοσοκόμος / νοσοκόμα | nurse (m / f) | ||
| οδοντίατρος | dentist | ||
| φαρμακοποιός | pharmacist | ||
| δικηγόρος | lawyer | ||
| Office and creative | |||
| μηχανικός | engineer / mechanic | ||
| προγραμματιστής / προγραμματίστρια | programmer / software engineer | ||
| δημοσιογράφος | journalist | ||
| συγγραφέας | writer | ||
| καλλιτέχνης / καλλιτέχνιδα | artist (m / f) | ||
| τραγουδιστής / τραγουδίστρια | singer (m / f) | ||
| ηθοποιός | actor / actress | ||
| Food and service | |||
| μάγειρας / μαγείρισσα | cook (m / f) | ||
| σεφ | chefborrowed; no gender ending | ||
| σερβιτόρος / σερβιτόρα | waiter / waitress | ||
| οδηγός | driver | ||
| Trades and civic | |||
| εργάτης / εργάτρια | labourer / worker (m / f) | ||
| αγρότης / αγρότισσα | farmer (m / f) | ||
| αστυνομικός | police officer | ||
Greek profession endings, a quick guide
Most Greek profession words come in a masculine / feminine pair. The commonest patterns:
- -ος / -α: δάσκαλος / δασκάλα (teacher), νοσοκόμος / νοσοκόμα (nurse), σερβιτόρος / σερβιτόρα (waiter)
- -ής / -ήτρια: μαθητής / μαθήτρια (student), τραγουδιστής / τραγουδίστρια (singer), προγραμματιστής / προγραμματίστρια (programmer)
- -ας / -ισσα: αγρότης / αγρότισσα (farmer), βασιλιάς / βασίλισσα (king / queen)
Some professions use one word for both genders (γιατρός, δικηγόρος, οδηγός, αστυνομικός), and you tell the gender from the article: ο γιατρός (male doctor), η γιατρός (female doctor).
Talking about work
A short kit of phrases to open a conversation:
- Τι δουλειά κάνεις;: What do you do?
- Είμαι δασκάλα.: I'm a teacher (female).
- Δουλεύω σε ένα γραφείο.: I work in an office.
- Είμαι φοιτητής.: I'm a student.
- Ψάχνω για δουλειά.: I'm looking for a job.
Notice Greek doesn't need an article before the profession: είμαι δάσκαλος (not είμαι ένας δάσκαλος). Same in Spanish, French, Italian. Ravi kept adding ένας out of English habit and it read as odd until his tutor flagged it.
Teacher: three different words
Greek splits 'teacher' by the level being taught:
- Δάσκαλος / δασκάλα: primary school teacher
- Καθηγητής / καθηγήτρια: secondary school teacher, university lecturer, or professor
- Νηπιαγωγός: kindergarten teacher
So a university lecturer is a καθηγητής, never a δάσκαλος. Getting this right matters, swapping them can sound patronising or unclear.
Student: μαθητής vs φοιτητής
Same split for 'student':
- Μαθητής / μαθήτρια: school student (primary or secondary)
- Φοιτητής / φοιτήτρια: university student
- Σπουδαστής / σπουδάστρια: student at a vocational college or similar
An adult saying είμαι μαθητής implies you're at school, which is rarely what a language learner means. Μαθαίνω ελληνικά (I'm learning Greek) is a safer way to describe yourself if you're just studying the language.
Professions borrowed from other languages
A handful of professions came in from other languages and keep one form for both genders:
- σεφ (from French chef)
- μπάρμαν (from English barman)
- μοντέλο (model)
- ντιτζέι (DJ)
These don't take gender endings. You tell the gender from the article and other clues in the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'what do you do for work' in Greek?+
Τι δουλειά κάνεις; (ti douliá kánis?) informally, or τι δουλειά κάνετε; (ti douliá kánete?) in the polite form. Literal: 'what job do you do?' The answer starts with είμαι + profession: είμαι δάσκαλος (I'm a teacher). No article needed before the profession.
What's the difference between δάσκαλος and καθηγητής?+
Δάσκαλος (male) / δασκάλα (female) is a primary school teacher. Καθηγητής (male) / καθηγήτρια (female) is a secondary school teacher, university lecturer, or professor. The split matters, calling a university lecturer a δάσκαλος can sound wrong.
Do Greek profession words change with gender?+
Most do. The commonest pairs are -ος / -α (δάσκαλος / δασκάλα), -ής / -ήτρια (μαθητής / μαθήτρια), and -ας / -ισσα (αγρότης / αγρότισσα). Some professions use one word for both genders (γιατρός, δικηγόρος, οδηγός), and you tell the gender from the article: ο γιατρός vs η γιατρός.
How do you say I'm a student in Greek?+
Είμαι φοιτητής (m) or είμαι φοιτήτρια (f) if you're at university. Είμαι μαθητής / μαθήτρια if you're at school. For adult language learners, μαθαίνω ελληνικά (I'm learning Greek) is usually a truer fit than either, μαθητής implies school-age.
Do you use 'a' before your profession in Greek?+
No, Greek drops the indefinite article. Είμαι δάσκαλος (I'm a teacher), not είμαι ένας δάσκαλος. Same rule as Spanish, French, and Italian. Adding ένας sounds odd to Greek ears and marks you out as translating from English.
Practise this in the app
Talk about work in the app
Quizzes on every profession word, drills on the gender pairs, and audio for every form.
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