Job conversations often contain two different questions: what you do and where you work. Practise answering each one with a short sentence before adding details. This invented conversation uses a teacher and an engineer. You can choose a fictional job for the exercise.
A short exchange
| Τι δουλειά κάνεις; | What do you do for work? |
| Είμαι δασκάλα. Εσύ; | I’m a teacher. And you? |
| Είμαι μηχανικός. Πού δουλεύεις; | I’m an engineer. Where do you work? |
| Δουλεύω σε ένα σχολείο στην Αθήνα. | I work at a school in Athens. |
| Δουλεύεις κάθε μέρα; | Do you work every day? |
| Όχι, δεν δουλεύω το Σαββατοκύριακο. | No, I don’t work at the weekend. |
Ask about the job
Τι δουλειά κάνεις; asks what someone does for work. Είμαι δασκάλα gives a profession. A man can say Είμαι δάσκαλος. The ending changes in this pair, so practise the form you need. Μηχανικός can be used for a man or a woman; this dialogue does not specify the engineer’s gender. Do not assume that every profession changes in exactly the same way.
Ask about the workplace
Πού δουλεύεις; asks where someone works. Δουλεύω σε ένα σχολείο answers with a workplace, while στην Αθήνα adds the city. Compare the short replies Είμαι δασκάλα and Δουλεύω σε ένα σχολείο. They describe related information, but they answer different questions.
Keep person forms together
Δουλεύω means “I work”; δουλεύεις means “you work” in an informal singular question. Practise Πού δουλεύεις; — Δουλεύω… as a pair. For a polite or plural question, use Πού δουλεύετε; Similarly, Τι δουλειά κάνετε; is the polite or plural version of the opening question.
Add a simple schedule detail
Κάθε μέρα means “every day”. Δεν δουλεύω means “I don’t work”. Το Σαββατοκύριακο means “at the weekend” here. In the dialogue, the teacher says she does not work at the weekend; this is information about the fictional speaker, not a rule about teaching jobs.
Check your understanding
- What is the first respondent’s job?
- What workplace and city does she mention?
- Does the dialogue say she works every day?
- Ask politely where someone works.
See the answers
1. She is a teacher: δασκάλα. 2. A school in Athens: σε ένα σχολείο στην Αθήνα. 3. No; she says she does not work at the weekend. 4. Πού δουλεύετε;
Make a three-line profile
Write a fictional profession, workplace and city. Say one sentence with Είμαι… and another with Δουλεύω…. Have a partner ask the questions in a different order. Finally, add one schedule detail. If you are not working now, a useful alternative is Δεν δουλεύω αυτή την περίοδο, “I’m not working at the moment”.
Practise a personal introduction. Distinguish opening and closing times.