に勤めています
ni tsutomete imasu
In Japanese, "I work for" is expressed as に勤めています (ni tsutomete imasu).
This phrase is used to state the company or organization that employs a person.
Which one should you use?
While に勤めています focuses on being employed by an organization, using で働いています focuses more on the physical act of working at a location.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form に勤めています is polite and suitable for introducing yourself in professional or social settings. For a more formal way to say "I am an employee of [Company]", you can use [Company] no shain desu. For an informal setting, you can use [Company] ni tsutometeiru.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle に (ni) is used to mark the organization or company that you work for.
How do you pronounce it?
ni tsutomete imasu
Did you know?
- In very formal business introductions, instead of saying 'I work for [Company]', it is more common to use the humble form [Company]に籍を置いております (seki o oite orimasu). This literally means 'I have my name on the register of [Company]'.
- In traditional Japanese corporate culture, employees may use the humble term 弊社 'heisha' to refer to their own company when speaking to outsiders, regardless of the phrase used to describe their employment.
- If you are a freelancer or self-employed, you should avoid using に勤めています because it implies a subordinate relationship with an organization. Instead, you would use 個人事業主として活動しています to indicate you work for yourself.
Examples in context
- 海運会社に勤めています。I work for a shipping company.This sentence is useful for stating that you work for a shipping company.Tatoeba #185082 by bunbuku, translation #22213 by CK
- 私は、旅行会社に勤めています。I work for a travel agency.This sentence is useful for stating that you work for a travel agency.Tatoeba #162134 by small_snow, translation #252381 by CK
- 銀行に勤めています。ginkou ni tsutomete imasu.I work for a bank.
Example conversation
Daito and Misaki are meeting for the first time at a party.
- 大翔 Hiroto大翔さんは、今どこで働いていますか？Daito-san wa, ima doko de hataraite imasu ka?Daito, where are you working now?
- 美咲 Misaki私は銀行に勤めています。Watashi wa ginkō ni tsutomete imasu.I work for a bank.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうなんですね。大変そうですね。Sō nan desu ne. Taihen sō desu ne.I see. That sounds tough.
- 美咲 Misakiまあ、忙しいですが楽しいです。Mā, isogashii desu ga tanoshii desu.Well, it's busy, but it's fun.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
