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How to Say ‘And what do you do here?’ in German

Und was machen Sie hier?

oont vas MAH-khen zee heer

[oont vas MAH-khen zee heer]

Phrase Breakdown

Und was machen

oont vas MAH-khen

And what do (you) do

'Und' links the question to the conversation. The 'ch' in 'machen' is throaty, like in 'loch'.

Example

Und was machen wir jetzt?

And what do we do now?

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]

Here 'machen' means to do, e.g. what work someone does.

Example

Was machen Sie beruflich?

What do you do for a living?

Sie hier?

zee heer

you here?

Formal 'you' plus 'here'. 'Sie' sounds like 'zee'. Use rising intonation.

Example

Wohnen Sie hier?

Do you live here?

Words in this phrase

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.

hier

[heer]

here

Refers to this place, such as the current event or location.

Example

Es ist gut, hier neue Leute kennenzulernen.

It is good to meet new people here.

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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