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People nouns ending in '-ista'

In Portuguese, nouns that refer to people usually change their ending to show gender. You will often see words ending in -o for men and -a for women. However, there is a large and useful group of words that breaks this pattern: people nouns ending in -ista.

Words like artista and dentista stay exactly the same whether you are talking about a man or a woman. These words do not change their spelling to reflect gender, which can sometimes trip up new learners who expect a masculine form ending in -isto.

Word list
artistaA1 artist o artista / a artista dentistaA1 dentist o dentista / a dentista cientistaA2 scientist o cientista / a cientista jornalistaA2 journalist o jornalista / a jornalista motoristaA2 driver o motorista / a motorista turistaA2 tourist o turista / a turista ativistaB1 activist o ativista / a ativista camionistaB1 truck driver o camionista / a camionista ciclistaB1 cyclist o ciclista / a ciclista contabilistaB1 accountant o contabilista / a contabilista economistaB1 economist o economista / a economista especialistaB1 expert o especialista / a especialista futebolistaB1 footballer o futebolista / a futebolista jornalistaB1 reporter o jornalista / a jornalista massagistaB1 massage therapist o massagista / a massagista pianistaB1 pianist o pianista / a pianista pugilistaB1 boxer o pugilista / a pugilista rececionistaB1 receptionist o rececionista / a rececionista recepcionistaB1 receptionist o recepcionista / a recepcionista taxistaB1 taxi driver o taxista / a taxista analistaB2 analyst o analista / a analista biologistaB2 biologist o biologista / a biologista eletricistaB2 electrician o eletricista / a eletricista estilistaB2 fashion designer o estilista / a estilista floristaB2 florist o florista / a florista guitarristaB2 guitarist o guitarrista / a guitarrista humoristaB2 comedian o humorista / a humorista linguistaB2 linguist o linguista / a linguista malabaristaB2 juggler o malabarista / a malabarista pensionistaB2 pensioner o pensionista / a pensionista terroristaB2 terrorist o terrorista / a terrorista velocistaB2 sprinter o velocista / a velocista violinistaB2 violinist o violinista / a violinista acionistaC1 shareholder o acionista / a acionista argumentistaC1 screenwriter o argumentista / a argumentista ateístaC1 atheist o ateísta / a ateísta bateristaC1 drummer o baterista / a baterista intercambistaC1 exchange student o intercambista / a intercambista musicistaC1 musician o musicista / a musicista retalhistaC1 retailer o retalhista / a retalhista roteiristaC1 screenwriter o roteirista / a roteirista varejistaC1 retailer o varejista / a varejista carteiristaC2 pickpocket o carteirista / a carteirista contrabandistaC2 smuggler o contrabandista / a contrabandista enxadristaC2 chess player o enxadrista / a enxadrista equilibristaC2 tightrope walker o equilibrista / a equilibrista extremistaC2 extremist o extremista / a extremista marionetistaC2 puppeteer o marionetista / a marionetista xadrezistaC2 chess player o xadrezista / a xadrezista
Spotting the gender

Because the noun itself does not change, you have to look at the words around it to know if the person is a man or a woman. The definite article before the noun will be o for a male and a for a female.

A dentista nova é muito simpática.
(The new dentist is very nice.)
Ele é pianista e ela é baterista.
(He is a pianist and she is a drummer.)

Any adjectives describing the person will also match their gender. While they do not change depending on gender, these words do change when they are plural. You simply add an -s to make them plural, using os or as.

Os turistas estão perdidos na cidade.
(The tourists are lost in the city.)
Professions and occupations

Many everyday jobs end in -ista. This includes scientific and technical roles like cientista, analista, and eletricista. It also covers service and office jobs like jornalista, recepcionista, and contabilista.

A jornalista escreveu um artigo excelente.
(The journalist wrote an excellent article.)
Eles são os melhores eletricistas da região.
(They are the best electricians in the region.)

Even drivers fall into this category. Whether you are talking about a motorista, a motorista de táxi, or a camionista, the word ending stays exactly the same.

O motorista do ônibus dirige devagar.
(The bus driver drives slowly.)
Arts, sports, and other roles

This pattern extends well beyond the workplace. In the arts, you will find the musicista, guitarrista, violinista, and humorista. Sports also have their share of -ista nouns, such as futebolista, ciclista, and velocista.

Aquele artista pintou um quadro lindo.
(That artist painted a beautiful picture.)

Finally, general roles and affiliations follow the exact same rule. Whether someone is an ativista, an acionista, or a pensionista, the core word remains the same for everyone.

A ativista discursou para a multidão.
(The activist spoke to the crowd.)
Summary

Nouns ending in -ista that refer to people do not change depending on gender. They look exactly the same for men and women. To show gender, you simply change the article before the noun (o or a) and any accompanying adjectives.