Ask about a job
Notice “What do you do for a living?” as a common question about someone’s work.
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Asking People ‘What Do You Do for a Living?’ in the USA
Practice respectful small talk about jobs, work hours, income, overtime, and favorite parts of a career.
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Listen with a purpose
Notice the useful language in “Asking People ‘What Do You Do for a Living?’ in the USA”.
Ask a follow-up
Listen for “What’s your favorite part about your job?” and questions about projects.
Talk about schedules
Pay attention to “How many hours do you work each week?” and the meaning of overtime.
Cultural note
The context makes the phrase land.
Work is common small-talk territory in the United States, but questions about income can be personal. Start with the job and follow the other person’s comfort level.
Try it
Practice the situation.
Practice a short professional introduction and ask a partner one respectful follow-up question about their work. Say your response aloud before checking the examples below.
“I work in customer support. What do you do for a living? What’s your favorite part about your job?”
Expression cards · 10 from the transcript
These cards were extracted from the transcript and grouped by the kind of language learners can practice.
Showing 10 of 10 cards.
What do you do for a living?
Ask what someone does as their job or profession.
Example sentence
“What do you do for a living?”
What’s your favorite part about your job?
Ask what someone enjoys most about their work.
Example sentence
“What’s your favorite part about your job?”
Work overtime
Work more hours than the standard schedule.
Example sentence
“I sometimes work overtime during the busy season.”
Just started out
Be at the beginning of a career or experience.
Example sentence
“When I just started out, I worked part-time.”
The main idea
The most important point in a lesson or conversation.
Example sentence
“The main idea of this lesson is how people communicate in social & small talk situations.”
In other words
A phrase used to explain the same idea more simply.
Example sentence
“In other words, the speaker is showing a natural way to handle this situation.”
For example
A phrase used to introduce a specific supporting detail.
Example sentence
“For example, you can use this phrase when talking about social & small talk.”
In this situation
A phrase that connects language to a particular context.
Example sentence
“In this situation, a short and clear answer is often the most helpful.”
A useful phrase
A practical expression worth remembering and reusing.
Example sentence
“That is a useful phrase to remember for social & small talk conversations.”
Try it yourself
An invitation to practise a phrase by making your own sentence.
Example sentence
“Now try it yourself by making one sentence about Asking People ‘What Do You Do for a Living?’ in the USA.”
Check your understanding
What does “What do you do for a living?” communicate?
RTB commentary
Listen to interviews about jobs and work schedules. Practice asking what someone does, what they enjoy, how many hours they work, and how they describe overtime.