What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ماذا (what) and تعمل (you work/do).
Which one should you use?
While ماذا تعمل؟ is a standard way to ask the question, other forms exist depending on the desired tone. For example, بماذا تعمل؟ is a formal way to ask "What do you do?" and ما هو عملك؟ specifically asks "What is your job?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you need to be more formal, you can use بماذا تعمل؟, ما هو عملك؟ (What is your job?), ما هي مهنتك؟ (What is your profession?) or ما مهنتك؟ (What is your profession?). In informal settings, you can use شو بتعمل؟ (What do you do?), شو شغلك؟ (What's your job?) or شو بتشتغل؟ (What do you work as?).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt, the phrase بتشتغل في ايه؟ is commonly used to mean "What do you work in?"
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a woman, the verb changes to the feminine form ماذا تعملين؟. When addressing a group of people, the verb changes to the plural form ماذا تعملون؟.
How do you pronounce it?
mādha ta‘mal?
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, the phrase شو بتعمل؟ is an ambiguous question that can mean either 'what is your profession?' or 'what are you doing right now?'
- The word ماذا is formed by combining ما, which means 'what', and ذا, which means 'this'.
- The verb used in these questions, تعمل, is rooted in the concept of an 'action' or 'deed', connecting a person's career to their actual output in life.
Examples in context
- ما هو عملك؟What is your job?
- شو بتشتغل؟What do you work as?
- بماذا تعمل؟What do you do?
- عذراً، ماذا تعمل؟adhran, mādhā ta'mal?Excuse me, what do you do?
Example conversation
Layla and Ziad are meeting for the first time at a social event.
- ليلى Laylaتشرفت بمعرفتك يا زياد، ماذا تعمل؟tasharaftu bima'rifatika yā Ziyād, mādhā ta'mal?Nice to meet you, Ziad, what do you do?
- زياد Ziadأنا مهندس، وأنتِ؟anā muhandis, wa anti?I am an engineer, and you?
- ليلى Laylaأنا معلمة لغة عربية.anā mu'allimat lugha 'arabiyya.I am an Arabic teacher.
- زياد Ziadهذا عمل رائع جداً.hādhā 'amal rā'i' jiddan.That is a very great job.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ماذا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
