What to put in a short personal profile
Write four or five sentences, one new fact each, in this order:
- “Hi, I’m Daniel.” – who you are
- “I’m an accountant and I work for a small company.” – work
- “I start at half past eight and I walk to work.” – one routine
- “I like animals, so I have a dog. I also play the guitar.” – two interests
- Not working? Give your study or situation: “I’m a student.”, “I’m retired.”, “I don’t work at the moment.”
The present simple: I work, she works
Use it for long-term facts (your job, your home) and repeated actions (routines, hobbies). Only he, she, it or one person changes the verb: add -s.
- I / you / we / they work – “We live in a flat.”
- he / she / it works – “My brother works in a shop.” Also: watches, goes, studies, has.
- Negatives: don’t/doesn’t + base verb – “I don’t drive to work.”, “He doesn’t work at night.”
- Verb + noun pairs: cook dinner, do housework, do exercise, watch TV, play tennis, play the guitar, listen to music
Saying what you do for a living
“What do you do?” asks about your job; it doesn’t mean “What are you doing now?” Answer with a job or a workplace:
- I’m a/an + job: “I’m a nurse.”, “I’m an engineer.” Use an before a vowel sound.
- I work in/at/for: “I work in an office.”, “I work at a hotel.”, “I work for an IT company.”
- More jobs: administrator, architect, journalist, lawyer, vet, receptionist, chef, hairdresser
Asking questions with do and does
Present simple questions need do or does. Information questions follow one order, question word + do/does + subject + base verb: “What kind of work do you do?” – “I design small public spaces.”
- “Do you work at weekends?” – “Yes, I do.” or “No, I don’t.”
- “Does she work with the public?” – “Yes, she does.” or “No, she doesn’t.”
- “What” – a thing or information: “What do you do after work?”
- “Where” – a place: “Where does he live?”
- “When” – a time: “When do you start?”
- “Which” – a choice from a small group: “Which day do you play tennis?”
- “Who” – a person: “Who do you work with?”
- “Why” – a reason: “Why do you like your job?”
- “How many” – a number: “How many hours do you work?”
- With be, don’t use do: “Are you a nurse?”, “Where is your office?”
A short conversation with follow-up questions
Each answer opens the next question: a place, then “What kind of” to narrow it, then “Why do you ask?” for a reason. Listen, then answer about your own work.
Maya Where do you work, Owen?
Owen At a design studio.
Maya What kind of projects do you do?
Owen Small public spaces. Why do you ask?
Maya Because my community group needs help.
Pronunciation: the -s ending and question stress
The -s ending has three sounds:
- /s/ after k, p and t: works, helps
- /z/ after vowels and voiced sounds: lives, plays
- /ɪz/ after s, sh and ch: watches, finishes
- Stress the question word and the main verb, not do: “WHERE do you WORK?”
Common mistakes
Each of these is easy to fix:
- “She work in a bank.” With he or she, add -s: “She works.”
- “Does he works?” No -s after do, does, don’t or doesn’t: “Does he work?”
- “Where you work?” Add do: “Where do you work?”
- “I am work in an office.” One verb only: “I work in an office.”
- “I’m engineer.” Jobs need a or an: “I’m an engineer.”
- “I’m working in an office.” for a permanent job: say “I work”; -ing is for now or temporary situations.
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Say everything aloud; write only at the end.
- 2 minutes: play the conversation and repeat each line.
- 2 minutes: say four true sentences: your work, one routine, two interests.
- 2 minutes: say them about a friend with he or she, and hear every -s.
- 4 minutes: write your profile and two questions you’d like to be asked, then check every verb.
What comes next
When this feels easy, add times and how often (“always”, “usually”, “on Mondays”). Then learn the present continuous for what is happening now, so you can tell “I work” from “I’m working”.