Portuguese Phrase
O que você faz da vida?
Meaning
Literally, ‘What do you do of the life?’, this idiomatic question asks someone about their occupation or main activity – essentially, ‘What do you do for a living?’
When to use
Use this phrase when meeting someone for the first time, during a casual chat, or when you want to know a person’s profession without sounding too formal. It’s common in Brazil and Portugal in informal settings.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Oquevocêfazdavida?
O que (interrogative)
‘O que’ functions as ‘what’ and introduces a question about a thing or an action.
você (subject pronoun)
‘você’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun, used in most everyday conversation in Brazil.
faz (present of fazer)
‘faz’ is the third‑person singular present of the verb ‘fazer’ (to do, to make).
da (de + a)
‘da’ is the contraction of the preposition ‘de’ + the feminine article ‘a’, meaning ‘of the’.
vida (noun)
‘vida’ literally means ‘life’; in this idiom it refers to one’s way of making a living.
🗨In Conversation
Oi, eu sou a Ana. O que você faz da vida?
Hi, I’m Ana. What do you do for a living?
Prazer, Ana! Eu sou engenheiro civil.
Nice to meet you, Ana! I’m a civil engineer.
✕Common Mistakes
O que você faz na vida?
‘na vida’ is understandable but not the idiomatic expression; the correct preposition is ‘da’ (de + a).
O que você é da vida?
Using ‘você é’ changes the meaning to ‘who are you?’ rather than asking about work.
O que tu fazes da vida?
‘Fazes’ is the European Portuguese 2nd‑person singular form; in Brazil you should use ‘faz’ with ‘você’.
↔Alternatives
Qual é a sua profissão?
What is your profession?
O que você trabalha?
What do you work as?
Com o que você ganha a vida?
What do you earn a living with?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, asking directly about a person’s job can be seen as a bit personal, especially with strangers. It’s polite to first exchange names and a brief greeting, then use this question. In more formal contexts, you might prefer ‘Qual é a sua profissão?’ which sounds slightly more respectful.