to toil
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to toil
To work very hard and physically strenuously, often under difficult conditions. The word has a colloquial connotation.
Er musste den ganzen Sommer auf der Baustelle schuften, um sein Studium zu finanzieren.
He had to toil on the construction site all summer to finance his studies.
'Schuften' (to toil) is a colloquial word. It emphasizes that the work is very hard, laborious, and often unpleasant.
Ich habe keine Lust, mein ganzes Leben lang für einen Hungerlohn zu schuften.
I don't feel like toiling my whole life for starvation wages.
The preposition 'für' (for) with the accusative is often used to express what someone is working so hard for.
Sie schuftet jeden Tag für die Zukunft ihrer Kinder.
She toils every day for her children's future.
Common comparisons intensify the meaning, for example 'schuften wie ein Pferd' (to work like a horse) or 'schuften wie ein Tier' (to work like an animal). Time expressions such as 'von morgens bis abends schuften' (to toil from morning till night) are also typical.
Um das Projekt rechtzeitig fertig zu bekommen, mussten wir schuften wie die Pferde.
To get the project finished on time, we had to work like horses.
to work
'arbeiten' and 'schuften' both have to do with work or activity. 'arbeiten' is neutral and can mean paid work or any other meaningful activity. 'schuften', on the other hand, means to work very hard, often in a physically demanding way. It is colloquial and often sounds somewhat negative, as if the work were difficult or too much. Learners may confuse the words because both express 'doing work'. If you simply want to say neutrally that someone is doing a task or has a job, use 'arbeiten'. If you want to emphasize strong effort, 'schuften' fits.
Auf der Baustelle schuften die Männer den ganzen Tag in der Hitze.
On the construction site, the men toil in the heat all day.
Nach dem Frühstück arbeitet Maria zwei Stunden an ihrer Bewerbung.
After breakfast, Maria works on her job application for two hours.