Thursday 2 February 2012

What Do You Do For A Living?


SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking to someone who does not know you very well. It could be an acquaintance, a work colleague or even someone you have just met. The other person wants to know your occupation/ profession. So, he/ she decides to ask you "what do you do for a living?".


The other person could choose to be a bit less formal and say:
¿A qué te dedicas?

Alternatively, he/ she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿A qué se dedica (usted)?


OUR TIP

The first thing to note is that, when you talk about what you do for a living, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level of formality in the other person's question. Your main concern should be about saying something about what you do for a living. Perhaps you want to:
  • Give your job/ occupation*.
  • Identify where you work.
    • Sector
    • Employer/ self-employed
    • Type of workplace
    • Workplace location
  • Indicate whether you do full-time/ part-time work.

Grammar
*Please note that some of these expressions vary in accordance with the gender of the person speaking. For our purpose here, we will assume that two people may be speaking:
  • A male called Pedro.
  • A female called Ana


Here are some examples of how you could describe your job:

  • Soy camarera (I am a waitress -María speaking)*.
  • Soy camarero (I am a waiter -Pedro speaking)*.
  • Soy médica ( I am a doctor -María speaking)*.
  • Soy médico ( I am a doctor -Pedro speaking)*.
  • Soy funcionaria (I am a civil servant -María speaking)*.
  • Soy funcionario (I am a civil servant -Pedro speaking)*.
  • Soy dentista (I am a dentist -either María or Pedro speaking)*.
  • Trabajo en la construcción (I work in the construction sector -either María or Pedro speaking).
  • Trabajo en la seguridad social (I work in the National Health Service-either Pedro or Ana speaking).
  • Trabajo en un hospital (I work in a hospital-either Pedro or Ana speaking).
  • Trabajo en Madrid (I work in Madrid-either Pedro or Ana speaking).
  • Me dedico al periodismo (I am in journalism -either María or Pedro speaking).
  • Trabajo en recursos humanos (I am human resources -either María or Pedro speaking).
  • Trabajo en el Banco de España (I work for the Bank of Spain).
  • Soy autónoma (I am self-employed -María speaking).
  • Soy autónomo (I am self-employed -Pedro speaking).
  • Trabajo por mi cuenta (I am self- employed).
  • Trabajo desde casa (I work from home).
  • Trabajo a tiempo parcial en una clínica (I work part-time in a clinic-either Pedro or Ana speaking).


Grammar
*Please note that when talking about professions/ occupations the "a" in English expressions, such as "I am a doctor" is not translated into Spanish. In Spanish, that expression is simply translated as "soy médico/ médica".


Now you should practice answering the question:
¿A qué te dedicas?




This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.comWe conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

For more Free Spanish:
Follow us on:
Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com
© Copyright 2012 Love-Spanish.com. by JM González. All Rights Reserved.

No comments: