你的工作是什么？

Learning Chinese: How to Ask "What's Your Job?" in Chinese

Chinese Characters: 你的工作是什么？
Pinyin: Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?
Pronunciation: ni3 de5 gong1 zuo4 shi4 shen2 me5
English Translation: What's your job?

Usage:

"你的工作是什么？(Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?)" is a common question used to ask someone about their occupation or profession. It can be used in both formal and informal settings.

Example:

Chinese: 你好，你的工作是什么？
Pinyin: Nǐ hǎo, nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?
English: Hello, what's your job?

Variations:

There are a few variations of "你的工作是什么？(Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?)" that you may hear:

您做什么工作？(Nín zuò shénme gōngzuò?) - A more formal way to ask the same question, using the honorific "您 (nín)".
你平时做什么？(Nǐ píngshí zuò shénme?) - A more casual way to ask about someone's job or activities.
Tips for Learning:

• Practice saying "你的工作是什么？(Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
• Listen to native Chinese speakers asking about occupations to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
• Use "你的工作是什么？(Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.

Additional Notes:

• When asking someone about their job, it's considered polite to use the honorific "您 (nín)" if you don't know them well.
• If you want to be more specific, you can add the word "职业 (zhíyè)" to the question: "你的职业是什么？(Nǐ de zhíyè shì shénme?)"
• To answer the question, you can simply state your occupation: "我是老师。(Wǒ shì lǎoshī.)"