How to Say ‘I work.’ in Japanese
働いています。
hatarai te i masu
[ha-ta-RA-ee teh ee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: The 〜ています ending describes an ongoing situation, so it's how you state your current job or studies. In 働いています (hataraite imasu) the い of います is often barely heard: (hataraitemas).
Phrase Breakdown
働い
hatarai
[ha-ta-RA-ee]
work (te-form stem)
Stem of 働く 'to work', changed to 働い before て.
銀行で働いています。
I work at a bank.
て
te
[teh]
te-form ending
This ending connects actions, like 'cut and...' in instructions.
てをつけると、つぎのどうさにつなげられます。
When you add -te, you can connect it to the next action.
い
i
[ee]
to be; ongoing state
Part of the progressive or current-state expression.
空いていますかを確認します。
I will check whether they are available.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
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