When speaking informally, you can refer to your job as your curro:
El bus se retrasó y llegué tarde al curro.
The bus was delayed so I arrived late at work.Paco está buscando curro.
Paco is looking for a job.
It can also refer to work in a general sense, though a sense of mandate is implied (e.g. studies):
Esta semana no puedo, tengo mucho curro.
I can’t this week, I have a lot to do.
The verb derived is currar, meaning to work:
Estuve currando toda la noche.
I was working all night.El sábado tengo que currar, pero nos vemos el domingo.
Saturday I have to work, but we can meet on Sunday.Almudena curra de profesora.
Almudena works as a teacher.
When pronominal, currarse means to work hard to build or come up with something. It becomes transitive then, so you need a direct object:
María se curró una presentación muy detallada.
María worked hard to create a thorough presentation.Si te lo curras, quizá ganes el concurso.
If you work hard on it, you might win the contest.
The noun currante/a means “hardworker”:
No me extraña que asciendan a Sonia, es una curranta.
I am not surprised they are promoting Sonia, she’s quite a worker.
But in plural it might refer to the whole of the working class itself :
Los currantes estamos hartos del gobierno.
We the working class are fed up with the government.
And in diminutive, currito entails affectionate or pitiful connotations. Somebody with bad work conditions.
Belén está ahora saliendo con un currito, un mecánico.
Belén is now dating a menial worker, a mechanic.
Originally published in Talk like a Spaniard.