Curro
Job, work — the informal word Spaniards use instead of trabajo.
Related lesson: Spanish at Work — From Contracts to Coffee Breaks.
Hear it in context
Esta semana estoy liado con el curro.
I'm swamped with work this week.
¿Qué tal el curro nuevo?
How is the new job going?
Salgo del curro a las seis.
I finish work at six.
What It Actually Means
Curro means “job” or “work”, used the way English speakers say “the job” or “grind” rather than the more formal “employment”. It’s the word colleagues actually use with each other — trabajo is what appears in contracts and job listings.
Where Textbooks Get It Wrong
Every beginner course teaches trabajo and stops there. But walk into a Spanish office and you’ll hear curro in casual conversation constantly — “¿cómo va el curro?”, “estoy hasta arriba de curro” (I’m swamped with work). Sticking to trabajo exclusively is a reliable tell that someone learned Spanish from a book.
The Verb Form
Currar is the matching verb — “to work” in its informal register. “Hoy no curro” (“I’m not working today”) is far more natural among friends than “hoy no trabajo”.
Common Pitfall
Curro is casual register, fine with colleagues you’re friendly with, but swap back to trabajo in writing, with clients, or with your boss unless you already know the office culture is relaxed.