What are you?

Question

1. What are you? 2. What do you do? The above sentences seem to have the same meaning. What's the difference in use or style between them?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

I am a human being. I am a woman. I am a native Californian. I am a mother. I am a concerned world citizen.

All of these could be answer to "what are you?" None of them desribe what I do for a living, which is presumably what you mean by "What do you do?"

If someone asked me "What are you?" I would think it a very odd question and would not know how to answer it.

Even "What do you do" is open to question. "What do you do for a living?" is the most specific way to ask this.

(American comments. Other countries and cultures may disagree.)

CalifJim · Answer

To ask a person his or her occupation, say "What do you do?"

"What are you?" seems too ambiguous and abrupt. It needs the right context to make sense, for example, after someone says, "I'm a ____."

-- What do you do?
-- I'm an accountant. What are you?
-- I'm a swimming teacher.

Even in the dialog above "What do you do?" would be more appropriate.

CJ

Diamondrg · Answer

What are you?" seems insulting to me as if to say " you are nothing" depending on the tone of the speaker's voice of course.

What are you?

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