Simplified Chinese - Work

你做什么工作

Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?

What do you do for work?

Meaning: What do you do for work?

When to use: Use this to ask someone's job in a friendly, neutral way. For extra politeness with older people or strangers say “您做什么工作？”.

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 你做什么？ — that can be vague. Use 你做什么工作？ to be clear.

我是___

Wǒ shì ___.

I work as a ___.

Meaning: I work as a ___.

When to use: Use this to say your job directly, for example 我是老师 or 我是护士。 You can also say 我做___ for some roles.

Tip: Some learners try to say '我是工作...' which is incorrect. Use 我是 + job title (e.g., 我是老师).

我在___工作。

Wǒ zài ___ gōngzuò.

I work at ___.

Meaning: I work at ___.

When to use: Fill the blank with a company, hospital, school, etc. Use this to tell where you work.

我在___部门工作。

Wǒ zài ___ bùmén gōngzuò.

I work in ___.

Meaning: I work in ___.

When to use: Use this to name your department or field, such as 我在市场部门工作 or 我在客服部门工作.

我在找工作

Wǒ zài zhǎo gōngzuò.

I'm looking for a job.

Meaning: I'm looking for a job.

When to use: Say this when you are seeking employment. It's natural spoken Chinese in mainland contexts.

我___开始上班。

Wǒ ___ kāishǐ shàngbān.

I start work at ___.

Meaning: I start work at ___.

When to use: Fill the blank with a time (e.g., 九点). Used to say when your workday begins.

Tip: Remember to use a time + 开始上班 (e.g., 我九点开始上班). Avoid missing the time word.

我___下班

Wǒ ___ xiàbān.

I finish work at ___.

Meaning: I finish work at ___.

When to use: Fill the blank with a time like 五点 or 十点 to say when your shift ends.

Tip: Don't mix start and end times — use 开始上班 for start and 下班 for finish (e.g., 我五点下班).

我___休息

Wǒ ___ xiūxi.

I have a day off on ___.

Meaning: I have a day off on ___.

When to use: Fill the blank with a weekday or date (e.g., 周日, 星期六) to say when you're off.

你能帮我做这个任务吗？

Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zuò zhège rènwu ma?

Can you help me with this task?

Meaning: Can you help me with this task?

When to use: Use this to politely request assistance at work. For more formality say “您能帮我做这个任务吗？”.

我在休息

Wǒ zài xiūxi.

I'm on break.

Meaning: I'm on break.

When to use: Use this to say you're currently taking a break at work and may not be available.

我做全职工作

Wǒ zuò quánzhí gōngzuò.

I work full-time.

Meaning: I work full-time.

When to use: Use this to state that your job is full-time. Spoken shorter: 我做全职。

我做兼职

Wǒ zuò jiānzhí.

I work part-time.

Meaning: I work part-time.

When to use: Use this to say you have a part-time job. In casual speech: 我做兼职。

会议几点开始

Huìyì jǐ diǎn kāishǐ?

What time is the meeting?

Meaning: What time is the meeting?

When to use: Ask this to find out when a meeting starts. It's a common workplace question in mainland China.