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How to Say ‘And what do you do for a living?’ in German

Und was machen Sie beruflich?

oont vas MAH-khen zee beh-ROOF-likh

[oont vas MAH-khen zee beh-ROOF-likh]

💬 Usage Tip: beruflich "professionally" is the word that turns a general "what do you do?" into a question about your job. Without it, Was machen Sie? could just mean "What are you doing?"

Phrase Breakdown

Und was machen Sie

oont vas MAH-khen zee

and what do you do

A formal question. 'Was' sounds like 'vas'. 'Machen' has a throaty 'ch', as in Scottish 'loch'.

Example

Was machen Sie heute?

What are you doing today?

Words in this phrase

Und

[oont]

and

A conjunction used to connect sentences or elements in a sentence.

Example

Und ich freue mich.

And I am happy.

was

[vas]

what

Question word asking about a thing.

Example

Was machst du?

What are you doing?

machen

[MAH-khen]

Verb 'machen'; here means to do (as a job).

Example

Was machen Sie am Wochenende?

What do you do on the weekend?

Sie

[zee]

you

The formal 'you' used in polite professional conversations.

Example

Ich freue mich, Sie hier auf der Jobmesse zu sehen.

I am pleased to see you here at the job fair.

beruflich?

beh-ROOF-likh

for a living / professionally

Stress the second syllable: be-RUF-lich. It ends in a soft 'ch'. Let your voice rise for the question.

Example

Ich bin beruflich in Berlin.

I'm in Berlin for work.

Words in this phrase

beruflich

[beh-ROOF-likh]

professionally, for a living

Adverb referring to one's job or profession.

Example

Ich bin beruflich in Hamburg.

I am in Hamburg for work.

Guides for German learners

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