How do you say "Were you doing as work?" in Japanese?

"Were you doing as work?" in Japanese is "仕事していましたか". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Were you doing as work?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "仕事していましたか" mean in English?

"仕事していましたか" means "Were you doing as work?" in English. Usage tip: [仕事していましたか] means "were you doing work / what work were you doing?" In natural Japanese, [仕事] can pair directly with [する] this way.

仕事していましたか

shigoto shi te i mashi ta ka

[shee-go-toh shee teh ee mah-shee tah kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [仕事していましたか] means "were you doing work / what work were you doing?" In natural Japanese, [仕事] can pair directly with [する] this way.

Phrase Breakdown

仕事

shigoto

[shee-go-toh]

work; job

Refers to work or employment experience.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

し

shi

[shee]

Stem of する, used to mean do or perform.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

て

[teh]

and; -te form

The te-form ending used to connect verbs or make progressive forms.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

い

[ee]

be; exist

Part of いました, helping form a continuing action in the past.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

まし

mashi

[mah-shee]

polite past marker part

Part of the polite past ending ました.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

た

[tah]

past tense marker

Completes the polite past ending in a verb.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

か

[kah]

question marker

Sentence-ending particle used to make a question.

Example

仕事していましたかと聞かれました。

I was asked, 'Did you work?'

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