Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 36
Kamu bekerja sebagai apa?What do you work as?
Talking about work and professions. Vocabulary: pekerjaan, bekerja, dokter, perawat, insinyur, guru, polisi, karyawan, perusahaan, gaji. Key grammar: "bekerja sebagai + profession" to state your job — "Saya bekerja sebagai guru" (I work as a teacher). The word "sebagai" means "as", and is followed directly by the profession WITHOUT "satu" (a/an). Ask with "Kamu bekerja sebagai apa?" or "Apa pekerjaanmu?" (what is your job?). English speakers translate "as A doctor" and slip in "satu": "bekerja sebagai satu dokter" ✗ → "bekerja sebagai dokter" ✓.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
sebagai satu dokter? sebagai dokter— sebagai satu dokter? or sebagai dokter
- BudiMike, kamu bekerja sebagai apa?Mike, what do you work as?
- MikeSaya bekerja sebagai satu insinyur.I work as an engineer. (slip: no "satu" for a job → bekerja sebagai insinyur)
- Budi"satu" itu "one/a", tidak dipakai untuk profesi. Cukup "bekerja sebagai insinyur"."satu" means "one/a", not used for a profession. Just "bekerja sebagai insinyur".
- MikeOh begitu. Saya bekerja sebagai insinyur di perusahaan besar.Oh, I see. I work as an engineer at a big company.
- BudiBagus! Kalau istrimu, dia bekerja sebagai apa?Great! And your wife, what does she work as?
- MikeDia bekerja sebagai perawat. Sekarang saya paham — tanpa "satu"!She works as a nurse. Now I understand — no "satu"!
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Keluargamu bekerja sebagai apa?— What does your family work as?
- SariMike, ayahmu bekerja sebagai apa?Mike, what does your father work as?
- MikeAyah saya bekerja sebagai guru di sekolah. Ibu saya bekerja sebagai dokter.My father works as a teacher at a school. My mother works as a doctor.
- SariWah, keluarga hebat! Kakakmu juga bekerja?Wow, a great family! Does your older sibling work too?
- MikeYa, kakak saya bekerja sebagai insinyur di perusahaan besar. Gajinya bagus.Yes, my older sibling works as an engineer at a big company. The salary is good.
- SariDan kamu bekerja sebagai insinyur juga, kan?And you work as an engineer too, right?
- MikeBetul! Kami berdua bekerja sebagai insinyur, tetapi di perusahaan berbeda.Correct! We both work as engineers, but at different companies.
Vocabulary
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
- pekerjaan
nounjob, work
- bekerja
verbto work
- dokter
noundoctor
- perawat
nounnurse
- insinyur
nounengineer
- guru
nounteacher
- polisi
nounpolice officer
- karyawan
nounemployee, staff
- perusahaan
nouncompany
- gaji
nounsalary
Grammar
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
bekerja sebagai + profession (no "satu")
Explanation
To state your job, use "bekerja sebagai + profession": "Saya bekerja sebagai guru" (I work as a teacher), "Dia bekerja sebagai dokter" (he works as a doctor). The word "sebagai" means "as", followed directly by the profession. Indonesian does NOT use "satu" (a/an) here — just "sebagai guru", not "sebagai satu guru". You can also answer shortly "Saya guru" (I am a teacher) or "Saya seorang guru" (with "seorang", the classifier for people, which sounds formal). Ask: "Kamu bekerja sebagai apa?" or "Apa pekerjaanmu?". Typical mistake: English says "as A doctor" with "a", so learners slip in "satu": "bekerja sebagai satu dokter" ✗ → the correct form is "bekerja sebagai dokter" ✓.
Examples
- Saya bekerja sebagai insinyur.I work as an engineer.
- Kamu bekerja sebagai apa?What do you work as?
- Dia seorang dokter dan bekerja di rumah sakit.She is a doctor and works at a hospital.
- Karyawan ini bekerja di perusahaan besar.This employee works at a big company.
Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →