💼❓

How to Say ‘Are you going to work?’ in German

Gehen Sie zur Arbeit?

GAY-en zee tsoor AR-bite

[GAY-en zee tsoor AR-bite]

💬 Usage Tip: zur is zu "to" merged with der, and it's used before die words like Arbeit. Before der and das words it becomes zum, as in zum Bäcker.

Phrase Breakdown

Gehen Sie

GAY-en zee

Are you going (formal)

In questions, the verb comes first. 'Gehen' sounds like 'GAY-en' and 'Sie' sounds like 'zee'.

Example

Gehen Sie nach Hause?

Are you going home?

Words in this phrase

Gehen

[GAY-en]

go / are going

A form of “gehen,” meaning “go” or “are going.”

Example

Wir gehen rüber, damit wir uns besser hören können.

We’re going over there so we can hear each other better.

Sie

[zee]

You (formal)

Formal second-person pronoun.

Example

Denken Sie, dass Netzwerken wichtig ist?

Do you think networking is important?

zur Arbeit?

tsoor AR-bite

to work?

'Zur' is short for 'zu der' and starts with a 'ts' sound. 'Arbeit' is stressed on 'AR' and ends like 'bite'.

Example

Ich fahre zur Arbeit.

I'm driving to work.

Words in this phrase

zur

[tsoor]

to the

Contraction of zu der, part of the phrase Fahr zur Hölle!.

Example

Fahr zur Hölle, ich rede nicht mehr mit dir!

Go to hell, I'm not talking to you anymore!

Arbeit

[AR-bite]

work

Refers to work, job activity, or the workplace context.

Example

Nach der Arbeit gehen viele Kolleginnen noch etwas trinken.

After work, many colleagues go for a drink.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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