Talking About Occupations

This unit covers vocabulary and structures for talking about occupations and work. You will learn common occupation words, how to express “do” and “work” with kora and kaj kora, workplace vocabulary, and how to ask about someone’s profession. These expressions are useful in professional introductions and diplomatic settings.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Apni ki kaj koren?	What work do you do?
Aami embassy-te kaj kori.	I work at the embassy.
Aamar baba bank-e kaj koren.	My father works at a bank.
Aamar ma shikkhok.	My mother is a teacher.
Aamar bhai daktar.	My brother is a doctor.
Tara hospital-e kaj koren.	They work at a hospital.
Apnar chakri kothay?	Where is your job?
Aami shokal theke dupur porjonto kaj kori.	I work from morning until afternoon.
Apni ki ofis-e jaaben?	Will you go to the office?
Aamar kaj shomoy moto kore hoy na.	My work does not finish on time.

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
kaj	work, job
chakri	job, employment
shikkhok	teacher
daktar	doctor
engineer	engineer
ofis	office
school	school
hospital	hospital
bank	bank
embassy	embassy
kora	to do
kaj kora	to work
kori	I do
koren	you/they (formal) do
jaaben	you will go
shokal	morning
dupur	afternoon
porjonto	until
shomoy	time
moto	like, as
hoy	happens, is done

Grammar Notes

Common Occupation Words

Chakri and kaj both mean work/job; chakri often implies formal employment. Shikkhok (teacher), daktar (doctor), engineer, udhbogok (entrepreneur), kormi (worker) are common. To say “X is a Y”: Aamar ma shikkhok (My mother is a teacher). No copula “is” is needed in present tense.

Expressing “Do” and “Work” (kora, kaj kora)

Kora means “to do”; kaj kora means “to work.” Conjugation: kori (I do), koro (you informal do), koren (you/they formal do), kore (he/she does). Ki kaj koren? (What work do you do?) uses the verb kora with kaj as object. Kaj kora is a compound verb: Aami kaj kori (I work).

Workplace Vocabulary

Ofis (office), school, hospital, bank, embassy are common workplaces. Use locative -e or -te: ofis-e, school-e, hospital-e. Aami embassy-te kaj kori (I work at the embassy). Kothay kaj koren? (Where do you work?).

Asking About Work

Ki kaj koren? (What work do you do?), Apnar chakri ki? (What is your job?), Kothay kaj koren? (Where do you work?). For “What does X do?”: Apnar baba ki kaj koren? Response: Tini bank-e kaj koren (He works at a bank) or Tini daktar (He is a doctor).

Drills

Drill 1: Occupation Statements

Bengali	English
Aamar baba shikkhok.	My father is a teacher.
Aamar ma daktar.	My mother is a doctor.
Aamar bhai engineer.	My brother is an engineer.
Aamar bon bank-e kaj koren.	My sister works at a bank.

Drill 2: Workplace Location

Bengali	English
Aami ofis-e kaj kori.	I work at an office.
Aami embassy-te kaj kori.	I work at the embassy.
Aamar baba hospital-e kaj koren.	My father works at a hospital.
Aamar ma school-e shikkha deben.	My mother teaches at a school.

Drill 3: Questions About Work

Question	Response
Apni ki kaj koren?	Aami embassy-te kaj kori.
Apnar chakri kothay?	Aamar chakri Dhaka-te.
Apnar baba ki kaj koren?	Aamar baba bank-e kaj koren.
Apni kothay kaj koren?	Aami ofis-e kaj kori.

Drill 4: Work and Time

Bengali	English
Aami shokal theke kaj kori.	I work from morning.
Aami dupur porjonto kaj kori.	I work until afternoon.
Aami rate kaj kori na.	I do not work at night.
Apni kokhon kaj koren?	When do you work?

Narrative

Aami embassy-te kaj kori. Aamar kaj diplomatic. Aami shokal nao-ta theke ofis-e aashi. Aami dupur du-ta porjonto kaj kori. Aamar bhai daktar. Tini hospital-e kaj koren. Aamar ma shikkhok. Tini ekta school-e shikkha deben. Aamar baba bank-er kaj koren. Tara shobai kaj koren. Aami aamar kaj bhalo bhabe kori. Aamar shomoy moto kaj korte ichchha kori.

I work at the embassy. My work is diplomatic. I come to the office at nine in the morning. I work until two in the afternoon. My brother is a doctor. He works at a hospital. My mother is a teacher. She teaches at a school. My father works at a bank. They all work. I like to do my work well. I want to finish my work on time.