¿Vas a trabajar?
The English phrase 'are you going to work' is translated into Spanish as ¿Vas a trabajar?
In Spanish, the question is formed by changing the intonation of the statement 'Vas a trabajar' rather than using a specific question word.
Which one should you use?
You can use the common ¿Vas a trabajar? or add the infinitive 'ir' (to go) to create the phrase ¿Vas a ir a trabajar?, which means 'Are you going to go to work?'
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, it is common to say ¿Vas a trabajar ahorita? to mean 'Are you going to work right now?' In Spain, the phrase ¿Vas a ir a trabajar? is common.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the phrase from the informal 'tú' form to the formal 'usted' form, change 'vas' to 'va'. If you are asking a group of people, use the third-person plural form ¿Van a trabajar? instead of 'vas'.
Did you know?
- The word trabajar descends from the Late Latin tripālium, which was a three-staked instrument used for torture.
- If you are in Mexico and ask ¿Vas a trabajar ahorita?, the word ahorita is famously ambiguous and can mean 'in a second', 'in an hour', or even 'not anytime soon'.
- In some contexts, trabajar can be used as a slang term for manipulating or 'working' a person to get what you want.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, trabajar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
