〜ですか／〜じゃありません~ desu ka / ~ ja arimasen
Desu ka (〜ですか) means “Check and deny a guessed job”.
I am an engineer.
Use 「〜ですか／〜じゃありません」 to check a job guess and say when it is wrong.
In the course
How it works
You want to check someone’s job when you first meet. Look at the picture: which answer means “I’m not a company employee”?
You already know the statement 「会社員です。」. Add 「か」 at the end to ask “Are you a company employee?”
「会社員ですか。」 checks a guess: is the other person a company employee? It does not ask what their job is.
If the guess is right, confirm it with 「はい、会社員です。」. The job word is still followed by 「です」.
You can also say 「はい、そうです。」 to confirm. 「そう」 refers to the job just mentioned, so you do not need to repeat it.
If the guess is wrong, say 「いいえ、会社員じゃありません。」. Replace 「です」 after the job word with the negative form.
Someone may be a company employee rather than a student. 「学生じゃありません。会社員です。」 first denies one role, then gives the actual one.
When both people know who is being discussed, you can leave out 「私は」 or the person’s name in the answer. The answers in the picture only state the job, but are still clear.
Example sentences
- 私watashiはwaエンジニアenjiniaです。desu
I am an engineer.
- あなたanataはwa会社員kaishainですdesuか。ka
In a conversation
- Aワンさんは学生ですか。
A: Is Wang a student?
- Bいいえ、学生じゃありません。会社員です。
B: No, he's not a student. He's an office worker.
Check yourself
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
I am an engineer.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
はい、私は
Yes, I am a doctor.
More grammar in this theme
- 〜ですか／〜じゃありませんCheck and deny a guessed job