A1 · Beginner Vocabulary
„Was machst du beruflich?“ (What do you do for a living?) is a question you will hear often. Here are common jobs (die Berufe) with pronunciation and audio.
Tap 🔊 to hear each word spoken in German.
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Lehrer | dair LAY-rer | teacher |
| der Arzt | dair artst | doctor |
| die Krankenschwester | dee KRAN-ken-shves-ter | nurse |
| der Ingenieur | dair in-zhe-NYUR | engineer |
| der Koch | dair kokh | cook / chef |
| der Verkäufer | dair fair-KOY-fer | salesperson |
| der Polizist | dair po-li-TSIST | police officer |
| der Anwalt | dair AN-valt | lawyer |
| der Student | dair shtoo-DENT | student |
| der Kellner | dair KEL-ner | waiter |
| der Bäcker | dair BEK-er | baker |
| der Friseur | dair fri-ZUR | hairdresser |
| der Programmierer | dair pro-gra-MEE-rer | programmer |
| der Busfahrer | dair BOOS-fah-rer | bus driver |
Two key rules: (1) Most jobs have a male and a female form — add -in for women: der Lehrer / die Lehrerin, der Arzt / die Ärztin. (2) To say your job, drop the article: „Ich bin Lehrer“ (I am a teacher) — no „ein“ needed.
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