Trabajá

Trabajá is the second-person singular affirmative imperative of the Spanish verb trabajar in the voseo varieties of Rioplatense Spanish, used mainly in Argentina and Uruguay. It conveys a command or request for the listener to work.

In voseo Spanish, the pronoun vos replaces tú, and verb forms differ from the standard tú paradigm. The affirmative imperative is formed from the stem by adding -á: trabajá. The present indicative corresponding to vos is trabajás, and the negative imperative is formed with the present subjunctive: no trabajés. Other related forms include the simple past with vos as trabajaste and various compound tenses, which align with standard Spanish conjugation patterns in many contexts.

Usage notes emphasize informality: trabajá is common in everyday speech among friends, family, and colleagues in Argentina and Uruguay. It is not typically used in formal writing or formal speech, where usted or the usted/ustedes forms would be preferred. The form is often used to convey local color in literature, media, and dialogue to reflect regional voice.

Examples include: “Trabajá un poco más y después descansá.” and “No trabajés si estás cansado.” The affirmative form stresses the final syllable, while the negative uses the subjunctive form and carries a distinct vowel quality in everyday speech.

Etymology traces trabajá to the verb trabajar, with voseo-specific morphology that marks the imperative for the vos form. The variant is characteristic of Argentina and Uruguay, with broader regional ties to the voseo phenomenon in the Spanish-speaking world.