arbeiten
to work
To have paid employment in order to earn a living; to be employed.
EXAMPLE
Sie arbeitet als Ärztin in einem großen Krankenhaus.
She works as a doctor in a large hospital.
arbeiten
to work
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Meanings
arbeiten
to work
To carry out a physical or mental activity; to be occupied with something.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende habe ich im Garten gearbeitet.
I worked in the garden at the weekend.
arbeiten an
to work on
To deal intensively with a task, project, or problem in order to create or solve it.
EXAMPLE
Der Autor arbeitet gerade an seinem neuen Roman.
The author is currently working on his new novel.
arbeiten
to work
To function or be in operation (referring to machines, devices, or systems).
EXAMPLE
Der neue Computer arbeitet viel schneller als der alte.
The new computer works much faster than the old one.
arbeiten
to work
To undergo an internal process or take effect, for example dough rising or wine fermenting.
EXAMPLE
Lass den Hefeteig an einem warmen Ort stehen, damit er gut arbeitet.
Leave the yeast dough in a warm place so it can work well.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'arbeiten' (to work) belongs to a large word family. Important related words are the noun 'die Arbeit' (work) and the adjective 'arbeitslos' (unemployed).
EXAMPLE
Er hat viel Arbeit in dieses Projekt investiert.
He invested a lot of work in this project.
Describing professions
To name a profession, you use the structure 'arbeiten als' (to work as) + job title in the nominative. This is a very common and useful construction.
EXAMPLE
Mein Bruder arbeitet als Programmierer in Berlin.
My brother works as a programmer in Berlin.
Naming the employer
To name the employer or company you work for, you use the preposition 'bei' followed by the dative.
EXAMPLE
Ich arbeite bei einer großen deutschen Firma.
I work for a large German company.
Fixed preposition
When you are working on a project, task, or problem, you use the fixed preposition 'an' with the dative: 'an etwas arbeiten' (to work on something).
EXAMPLE
Die Wissenschaftler arbeiten an einem neuen Medikament.
The scientists are working on a new medication.
Context clue: machines
When the subject of the sentence is a machine, device, or system, 'arbeiten' (to work) means something like 'funktionieren' (to function) or 'in Betrieb sein' (to be in operation).
EXAMPLE
Meine alte Kaffeemaschine arbeitet nicht mehr richtig.
My old coffee machine doesn't work properly anymore.
Context clue: processes
In connection with dough, wine, or wood, 'arbeiten' (to work) means that a material is changing through internal, natural processes.
EXAMPLE
Das Holz des neuen Tisches arbeitet und zieht sich bei Kälte zusammen.
The wood of the new table is working and contracts in the cold.
Compare with
arbeiten vs machen
to do / make
Machen and arbeiten can overlap when completing a task. Machen focuses more on the task as an action being carried out, while arbeiten highlights the ongoing process and the work involved. Use machen when talking about getting something done and arbeiten an when talking about working on it.
arbeiten
Ich arbeite heute an meinen Hausaufgaben.
I am working on my homework today.
machen
Ich mache heute meine Hausaufgaben.
I am doing my homework today.
In real life
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