Reception desk at an office. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Asking About Jobs

CEFR: A1
Click to listen.

🎧 Read/Listen first

Hello. My name is Lynn Clark. I work for SPR Computing. I am a secretary and I work in an office. My colleague is Mr Gomez. He works for SPR Computing too. He is an engineer. When I meet a visitor, I say, Let me introduce you to my colleague. Then I ask, What do you do? I listen and I say, How about you?

⚡ Learning goals

  • Ask someone about their job.
  • Say your job and where you work.
  • Introduce a colleague at reception.

🔑 Key language

  • What do you do? What do you do?
  • I’m a / an + job. I’m a secretary.
  • I work in / for + place or company. I work in an office. I work for SPR Computing.

⚙️ Rules & Grammar

🟣 Ask about a job

Rule: Use What do you do? to ask someone’s job.
Examples: What do you do? How about you?
Common pitfall + fix: What you do? — What do you do?

🟣 Use a or an

Rule: Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
Examples: I’m a secretary. I’m an engineer.
Common pitfall + fix: I’m a engineer. — I’m an engineer.

🟣 Work in a place

Rule: Use I work in a / an + place for the place.
Examples: I work in an office. I work in a bakery.
Common pitfall + fix: I work at an office. — I work in an office.

🟣 Work for a company

Rule: Use I work for + company for the company name.
Examples: I work for SPR Computing. He works for SPR Computing.
Common pitfall + fix: I work in SPR Computing. — I work for SPR Computing.

✍️ Vocabulary

secretary — a person who helps in an office.

engineer — a person who designs and builds things.

office — a place where people work at desks.

company — a business where people work.

introduce — say who a person is to someone.

You meet Lynn Clark. Ask about her job.
Complete: Mr Gomez is ___ engineer.
Choose Lynn’s correct sentence about her workplace.
Complete: I work ___ SPR Computing.
At reception, you present Mr Gomez to a visitor. What do you say?
Complete: I work in ___ office.
After Lynn answers, you ask the same question to her. What do you say?
Complete: Lynn is a ___.

🧩 Guided practice

Mini-dialogue:
Hello.
Let me introduce you to my colleague, Mr Gomez.
What do you do?
I’m a secretary. I work in an office.
How about you?
I’m an engineer. I work for SPR Computing.

Why this matters:
At reception, you often meet new people. These short questions help you be polite and clear.

Verb & Adjective Pack:
work, introduce, ask, listen, meet, help, polite, clear

You hear: What do you do? Choose Lynn’s answer.
Complete: I work in an ___.
Type the missing word: Let me ___ you to my colleague.