WorkWhat is your job?

Practise some of the vocabulary and phrases you may need to describe jobs and career aspirations in German, and learn to interact in an interview by taking part in a role play.

Part ofGermanSpeaking

What is your job?

Was bist du von Beruf?(informal)

Was sind Sie von Beruf?(formal)

Wo arbeitest du?

Hast du einen Job?

Hast du einen Teilzeitjob?

Wo arbeitet dein Vater?

Was ist deine Mutter von Beruf?

To give personal answers, you need to know some key verbs:

Hilfsvokabeln– Helpful vocabulary

  • arbeiten (v) – to work
  • haben (v) – to have
  • sein (v) – to be
  • suchen (v) – to look for

Question

How would you answer these questions, using the information provided?

Make sure you use the correct verb forms.

  • Wo arbeitest du? – bei Aldi/bei Lidl/bei Tesco
  • Hast du einen Job? – als Kellner
  • Hast du einen Teilzeitjob? – in einer Garage
  • Was sind Sie von Beruf? – Informatiker
  • Wo arbeitet dein Vater? – in einem Büro
  • Was ist deine Mutter von Beruf? – Zahnärztin

Did you know?

Billionaire brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht made their vast fortune by developing their parents’ grocery store in Essen into a chain of successful supermarkets, originally called 'Albrecht Discount'. The name was soon shortened to ALDI, which was considered more catchy.

Another well-known German supermarket was founded in the 1940s by a family called Schwarz, and originally called Schwarz Lebensmittel-Sortimentsgroßhandlung – Schwarz Wholesale Food Assortment. They were not permitted to shorten the name to the snappier Schwarz Markt, as Schwarzmarkt means 'black market'.

Eventually, the company was named after a former business partner of one of the Schwarz family. It cost 1,000 DM (Deutschmarks) to buy the rights for the name from a certain Herr Lidl.

Outside view of Karl Albrecht Spiritousen and Lebensmittel shop, at Huestrasse 89 in Essen-Schonnebeck, Germany
Image caption,
The original grocery store in Essen belonging to the parents of the Albrecht brothers

More guides on this topic