Bedeutung
A question about someone's profession or activity.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Brazilians are very social and often ask 'O que você faz?' within the first few minutes of meeting someone. It's seen as a way to build a connection. In Portugal, address is more formal. If you don't know someone well, you might use 'O que faz?' (formal) or even avoid the question until a bit later in the conversation. In Luanda, the question can be very direct. People often want to know your 'business' or how you are contributing to the economy. Politeness is key. Often, the question is preceded by a long greeting sequence before getting to 'O que faz?'.
Add 'da vida'
Adding 'da vida' makes you sound much more like a native speaker when asking about someone's career.
Watch the 'z'
Don't pronounce the 'z' like a 'z' in 'zebra'. It's always an 's' or 'sh' sound at the end of the word.
Bedeutung
A question about someone's profession or activity.
Add 'da vida'
Adding 'da vida' makes you sound much more like a native speaker when asking about someone's career.
Watch the 'z'
Don't pronounce the 'z' like a 'z' in 'zebra'. It's always an 's' or 'sh' sound at the end of the word.
Be ready to answer
In Brazil, if you ask this, be prepared for a long answer! People love talking about their work and projects.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb 'fazer' for 'você'.
Olá! O que você ___?
For 'você', we use the third-person singular form 'faz'.
Which phrase is most natural for asking about someone's career in a casual conversation?
Escolha a opção mais natural:
'O que você faz da vida?' is a very common and natural idiomatic way to ask about someone's career.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
A: Prazer em conhecê-lo. O que você faz? B: ________. E você?
When asked 'O que você faz?', the standard response is to state your profession using 'Sou...'.
Match the phrase to the correct situation.
Match: 1. O que fazes? (PT) | 2. O que você faz? (BR) | 3. O que o senhor faz? (Formal)
'Fazes' is informal PT, 'Você faz' is standard BR, and 'O senhor faz' is formal.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Regional Differences
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenOlá! O que você ___?
For 'você', we use the third-person singular form 'faz'.
Escolha a opção mais natural:
'O que você faz da vida?' is a very common and natural idiomatic way to ask about someone's career.
A: Prazer em conhecê-lo. O que você faz? B: ________. E você?
When asked 'O que você faz?', the standard response is to state your profession using 'Sou...'.
Match: 1. O que fazes? (PT) | 2. O que você faz? (BR) | 3. O que o senhor faz? (Formal)
'Fazes' is informal PT, 'Você faz' is standard BR, and 'O senhor faz' is formal.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNo, it's a standard social question. However, in very formal settings, use 'Qual é a sua profissão?'.
The most common way is 'Sou [profession]' (e.g., 'Sou engenheiro').
'O que faz?' is usually about your job or habits. 'O que está fazendo?' is about what you are doing right this second.
Not really. Use 'E aí?' or 'Tudo bem?' for 'What's up?'.
Always 'O que você faz?'. The subject comes before the verb in this question.
In Brazil, it's common to include it. In Portugal, it's often dropped if the context is clear.
You say 'Sou estudante' or 'Eu estudo [subject]'.
Yes, but usually you ask 'O que você quer ser quando crescer?' (What do you want to be when you grow up?).
No, the verb 'faz' stays the same regardless of gender.
You can ask 'O que você faz no seu tempo livre?' (What do you do in your free time?).
Verwandte Redewendungen
Qual seu trabalho?
synonymWhat is your job?
O que está fazendo?
similarWhat are you doing?
O que faz da vida?
specialized formWhat do you do for a living?
Em que você trabalha?
synonymIn what do you work?
Qual sua profissão?
formalWhat is your profession?
