Have you ever wanted to say your job in Algerian Arabic? Or maybe you're just curious about how people talk about work in everyday conversations here in Algeria? 😊 In this lesson, we're learning 10 of the most common jobs in Algeria — the kind of words you’ll hear all the time when people talk about themselves, their parents, or even the neighbor next door!
Ready? Let’s build your job vocabulary together!
NOTE: (m) stands for male, and (f) stands for female — so you’ll know which form to use depending on who you're talking about!
1_ Teacher
أُسْتَاذْ (m) /ousta:d/ أُسْتَاذَة (f) /ousta:da:/
2_ Doctor
طْبِيبْ (m) /t’bi:b/ طْبِيبَة (f) /t’bi:ba/
In everyday Algerian Arabic, we usually use French words for doctor specialties — like “pédiatre” or “cardiologue.”
3_ Nurse
فَرْمْلِي (m) /farmli:/ فَرْمْلِيَّة (f) /farmliyya/
4_ Engineer
مُهَنْدِسْ (m) /mohandis/ مُهَنْدِسَة (f) /mohandissa/
5_ Taxi Driver
طَاكْسيور (m) /taksior/
This job is usually done by men, so there isn’t really a common word for a woman doing it
6_ Police man
بُولِيسِي (m) /bouli:ssi:/ بُولِيسِيَّة (f) /bouli:ssiyya/
7_ Soldier
عَسْكْرِي (m) /3askri:/ عَسْكْرِيَّة (f) /3askriyya/
8_ Retailer/ Store owner
تَاجِرْ (m) /ta:jir/
This job is also usually done by men, so there isn’t really a common word for a woman doing it
9_ Entrepreneur
مُقَاوِلْ (m) /moqawil/ مُقَاوِلَة (f) /moqa:wila/
10_ Office Job (in general)
نَخْدَمْ في ( شَرِكَة / إِدَارَة / بُونْكَا/….) (m/f)
/nakhdam fi charika/ida:ra/bonka/
I work in (a company/ administration/ bank/…,etc)
If you work in an office, you can just say the kind of building you work at — like a bank or a company
Examples:
بابا يَخدَم بوليسي /ba:ba: yakhdam bouli:ssi:/
my father is a policeman.
هي أُسْتَاذَة /hiya osta:da:/
she is a teacher.
