💼❓

How to Say ‘What do you do?’ in Italian

Di cosa ti occupi?

dee KO-sa tee OK-koo-pee

[dee KO-sa tee OK-koo-pee]

💬 Usage Tip: Italian keeps di at the front of the question, where English would leave "of" or "with" at the end. The answer uses it too: mi occupo di marketing "I deal with marketing".

Phrase Breakdown

Di cosa

dee KO-sa

What / Of what

This is a question opener. 'Cosa' is KOH-zah, with a soft 's'.

Example

Di cosa parli?

What are you talking about?

Words in this phrase

[dee]

Preposition linking nouns, often translated as of.

Example

Che tipo di ruolo è disponibile?

What kind of role is available?

cosa

[KO-sa]

What

Used to specify something unknown.

Example

Dire cosa vuoi vedere.

Say what you want to watch.

ti occupi?

tee OK-koo-pee

do you deal with / do you do?

The stress falls on the first 'o': OHK-koo-pee. Hold the double 'cc' slightly.

Example

Ti occupi tu della cena?

Will you take care of dinner?

Words in this phrase

[tee]

yourself

Reflexive pronoun for 'tu', needed with 'occuparsi'.

Example

Ti occupi tu della cena?

Will you take care of dinner?

occupi

[OK-koo-pee]

you deal with / handle

From 'occuparsi di': to be in charge of, to work on something.

Example

Ti occupi di marketing?

Do you handle marketing?

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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