你在做什么工作？

Learning Chinese: How to Ask "What Do You Do for Work?" in Chinese

Chinese Characters: 你做什么工作？
Pinyin: Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?
Pronunciation: ni3 zuo4 shen2 me5 gong1 zuo4
English Translation: What do you do for work?

Usage:

"你做什么工作？ (Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)" 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: 你做什么工作？
Pinyin: Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?
English: What do you do for work?
Variations:

There are a few variations of "你做什么工作？ (Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)" that you may hear:

你在做什么工作？ (Nǐ zài zuò shén me gōng zuò?) - A more informal way to ask the same question.
你从事什么职业？ (Nǐ cóng shì shén me zhí yè?) - A more formal way to ask about someone's profession.
Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "你做什么工作？ (Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking about someone's occupation to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "你做什么工作？ (Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.
Additional Notes:

"你做什么工作？ (Nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò?)" is typically used in situations where you are meeting someone for the first time or getting to know them better.
To answer the question, you can simply state your occupation or profession. For example, "我是老师 (Wǒ shì lǎoshī)" means "I am a teacher."
You can also use more specific terms to describe your job title or responsibilities. For example, "我是软件工程师 (Wǒ shì ruǎnjiàn gōngchéngshī)" means "I am a software engineer."