What does she do? Asking about someone’s job and routine in English with does (A1 beginner)

To ask about someone’s job in English, use does: “What does she do?” Answer with a or an before the job: “She’s a nurse.” For the place, ask “Where does she work?” – “She works in a hospital.” With he and she, a positive verb takes -s, but after does and doesn’t it returns to its base form: “She doesn’t work in an office.” Put usually, often or never before the verb to say how often. This A1 (beginner) topic is for adults who can talk about themselves and now want to talk about others; ten minutes of practice a day is enough.

Who this is for

Adults starting English: you can talk about your own day with I, and now you want to talk about family, friends and colleagues.
People meeting new colleagues, neighbours or in-laws: “What does your husband do?” and “Where does she work?” come up early in small talk.
People who learned English at school: you know the rule about -s, but it disappears when you speak.
Too early: if “Do you…?” and “I don’t…” about your own habits are still new, start with talking about breakfast and meals with do and don’t (A1).
Too easy: if you already describe other people’s routines with does and frequency words without thinking, move on to usually versus today: what someone normally does and what is different now (A1).

Open the sample pages

Word cards

a teacher

a doctor

a nurse

a journalist

a policeman

a policewoman

a factory worker

a taxi driver

she works

third-person present-simple affirmative

he doesn't work

third-person present-simple negative

Does she work?

a question: does she have a job?

Does she work? Yes, she works in an office.

always

every time

Maya always works here.

usually

most times

Maya usually works here.

often

many times

Maya often works here.

sometimes

on some occasions

Maya sometimes works here.

never

at no time

Maya never works here.

Conversation

Maya What does your friend do?

Owen She's a policewoman.

Maya Where does she work?

Owen She works in the city centre. She doesn't work in an office.

Language pattern

What does she do?

She's a journalist. She works for a city magazine.

Add -s or -es in affirmative statements with he or she. Use does or doesn't with the base verb.

she works
he doesn't work
Does she work?

More practice

Build the pattern

Two people have contrasting morning routines.

Owen Does your brother get up early?

Maya He usually gets up at six.

Owen Does he have breakfast at home?

Maya No. He often has coffee on the way to work.

Does he usually get up early?

Yes. He always gets up at six.

Frequency adverbs usually come before a main verb and after be.

always
usually
often
sometimes
never

A morning on the move

Maya What time does Nina start work?

Owen She starts at eight.

Maya Does she drive?

Owen No. She usually takes the bus.

Maya Does she have breakfast at home?

Owen Sometimes. She often buys coffee near the office.

A colleague's day

What does your colleague do?

Rosa is a teacher. She works in a language school. She usually gets up at seven. She often walks to work. She never works on Sunday.

She works
usually gets up
often walks
never works

Learn this unit

How would you like to learn?

Have an account?

A free account opens one unit for good.

Asking about a job: “What does she do?”

“What does she do?” means “What is her job?”, not “What is she doing now?” Answer with be, a or an, and the job: “She’s a nurse.” Use an before a vowel sound: “an engineer”. The cards above play the job words; listen and repeat each one.

a teacher, a doctor, a nurse, a journalist, a receptionist, a factory worker, a taxi driver
a waiter / a waitress, a policeman / a policewoman (or “a police officer” for anyone)
Not working now: “He’s a student.” “She’s retired.” “He’s unemployed.” (no a before retired or unemployed)

Where does he work? Places and companies

Use work in or work at for the place, and work for for the company.

“She works in a hospital.” / “He works in a shop.” / “They work in an office.”
“She works at home.” (no a, no the)
“He works for an American company.”
With a named place, at is very common: “She works at the city hospital.”

A short conversation about a friend’s job

One person asks another about a friend. Listen for does in both questions and the -s in works; after doesn’t, work has no -s. Then answer the same two questions about a real friend.

Maya What does your friend do?

Owen She's a policewoman.

Maya Where does she work?

Owen She works in the city centre. She doesn't work in an office.

She works, she doesn’t work, does she work?

For habits and facts, English uses the present simple. With he, she, it or one person, a positive verb adds -s: she works. Negatives and questions use does or doesn’t, and the verb loses its -s: does already carries it.

The ending sounds like /s/ in works, /z/ in lives and goes, and adds a syllable, /ɪz/, in watches and finishes.

“He works in a factory.” / “He doesn’t work at night.”
“Does he work at weekends?” – “Yes, he does.” / “No, he doesn’t.”
“What does he do?” “Where does he work?” “What time does he start?”
Spelling: watch → watches, finish → finishes, go → goes, study → studies, have → has

How often? From always to never

Frequency words go before the main verb but after be: “She usually gets up at six.”, but “He’s always tired.” In negatives they follow doesn’t; in questions, the subject: “She doesn’t usually work late.” “Does he often work at home?”

always → usually → often → sometimes → hardly ever (almost never) → never
Sometimes can also start the sentence: “Sometimes she works at home.”
Never already makes the sentence negative, so the verb stays positive: “He never works on Sundays.”, not “He doesn’t never work.”

Learn this unit your way

Describing someone’s day

Put routine verbs in order, then add times and frequency words: “My sister is a nurse. She usually gets up at half past five and goes to work by bus. She often finishes at three. She never works on Sundays.”

Morning: get up, have a shower, have breakfast, go to work
Later: have lunch, finish work, go home, make dinner, watch TV, go to bed
With he or she: gets up, has, goes, finishes, watches

Common mistakes

Each has a quick fix:

“She work in a hospital.” → “She works in a hospital.”
“Does she works?” / “She doesn’t works.” → “Does she work?” / “She doesn’t work.”
“He don’t work.” → “He doesn’t work.”
“She is nurse.” → “She’s a nurse.”
“She works often at home.” → “She often works at home.”

A 10-minute daily practice routine

Say everything out loud, a little every day.

2 minutes: play the conversation, pausing to repeat each line.
3 minutes: describe three people you know in two sentences each: “My brother is a taxi driver. He works in the city centre.”
3 minutes: ask and answer five questions about one person: job, place, start time, weekends, how often.
2 minutes: say works, lives, goes, watches and finishes in short sentences.

What comes next

Next, compare a habit with today. The present continuous (am, is, are + -ing) describes now: “She usually works in an office, but today she’s working at home.” The same does questions also help you make plans: “What time does the film start?”

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between “What does she do?” and “What is she doing?”

“What does she do?” asks about her job: “She’s a teacher.” “What is she doing?” asks about now: “She’s cooking dinner.”

When do you use does instead of do?

Use does with he, she, it and one person or thing: “Does your sister work?” Use do with I, you, we and they: “Do your parents work?” After both, the main verb has no -s.

Where do always, usually and never go in a sentence?

Before the main verb (“He usually starts at nine.”) and after am, is or are (“She’s never late.”). In questions they follow the subject: “Does he often work late?”