Latest / Learn German with Fexingo / German Professions - Was machst du?
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, welcome back to Learn German with Fexingo. I'm excited for today's topic. Luna: Yeah, me too! So we've talked a lot about professions, like 'Was bist du von Beruf?' and 'Ich bin Arzt.' What's new today? Lucas: Today we're focusing on a slightly different question: 'Was machst du?' It literally means 'What do you do?' and it's super common in casual conversation. Luna: Oh, so it's like asking what someone does for work, but more informal? Lucas: Exactly. And we'll learn a few specific jobs that are great for everyday chats. Also, quick note — if Fexingo has been helping you make progress with German, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. We keep the show ad-free because of listeners like you. Luna: Absolutely. It's nice to have a podcast without interruptions. So, what are the new job words? Lucas: Let's start with 'Ich bin Koch.' I am a cook. Koch. Luna: Ich bin Koch. Lucas: Perfect. Now imagine you're at a party and someone asks 'Was machst du?' You say 'Ich bin Koch.' Luna: Ich bin Koch. That's easy. What about a waiter? Lucas: That's 'Ich bin Kellner.' Kellner. Luna: Ich bin Kellner. So if I work in a restaurant, I could say that. Lucas: Exactly. And one more: 'Ich bin Verkäufer' — I am a salesperson. Verkäufer. Luna: Ich bin Verkäufer. That's a mouthful! Verkäufer. Lucas: You got it. Now let's practice all three in a little scene. Say I ask you 'Was machst du?' and you answer with one of them. Luna: Okay. Was machst du? Lucas: Ich bin Koch. Now you ask me. Luna: Was machst du? Lucas: Ich bin Kellner. See how it works? Luna: Yeah. Was machst du? Ich bin Verkäufer. Lucas: Excellent. So 'Was machst du?' is a great conversation starter. And these three jobs — Koch, Kellner, Verkäufer — are very common. Luna: Can we practice a bit more? Maybe I can ask you again. Lucas: Sure. Was machst du? Luna: Ich bin Koch. Und du? Lucas: Ich bin Kellner. Nice. Now try switching to Verkäufer. Luna: Was machst du? Ich bin Verkäufer. Lucas: Perfect. You're really getting the hang of it. Remember, 'Was machst du?' is for informal situations. With strangers, you might use 'Was sind Sie von Beruf?' but this is fine with friends. Luna: Good to know. So today I learned: Was machst du?, Ich bin Koch, Ich bin Kellner, Ich bin Verkäufer. Lucas: That's it. Practice those, and next time you meet a German speaker, you can ask what they do. Thanks for listening to Learn German with Fexingo. Luna: See you next time!