How to Say ‘What do you do for a living?’ in Spain Spanish
¿En qué trabajas?
💬 Usage Tip: A direct way to inquire about someone's job.
🇪🇸 In Spain: In Spain, asking this question is quite normal in a networking context.
Phrase Breakdown
¿En
en
In
Starts the question about one’s profession, asking where or in what field.
¿En qué equipo juegas?
Which team do you play for?
qué
keh
what
Continues the question, specifying 'in what'.
¿En qué país vives?
In which country do you live?
trabajas?
trah-BAH-hahs
do you work?
Asks about someone's occupation or job field.
¿Trabajas en una oficina?
Do you work in an office?
Word-by-Word Breakdown
En
[ehn]
in
A preposition used to express the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.
Trabajo en una oficina.
I work in an office.
qué
[keh]
what
Used to specify something, typically a profession or occupation, in questions.
¿Qué haces?
What do you do?
trabajas
[trah-'bah-hahs]
do you work
Referring to one's occupation or place of employment.
¿Dónde trabajas?
Where do you work?
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