Breakdown of Hvad laver du til daglig?
du
you
hvad
what
lave
to make; to do (an activity)
til daglig
day to day, in everyday life
Questions & Answers about Hvad laver du til daglig?
Why does the sentence use laver instead of gør for 'do'?
In Danish, laver (from at lave, meaning 'to make' or 'to do') is the standard verb used to ask about someone's activities or occupation. While gør also means 'do' or 'act', asking Hvad gør du? sounds more like 'What action are you taking (in this specific situation)?' rather than asking about a job.
How does til daglig translate to 'for a living'?
Literally, til daglig means 'on a daily basis' or 'in everyday life'. When you ask someone what they do daily, it is the standard Danish idiom for asking about their job, studies, or main occupation. English simply expresses this same idea as 'for a living'.
Why doesn't daglig have a -t at the end if it describes how they do something?
In the fixed phrase til daglig, the word daglig actually functions as a noun referring to everyday life, not as an adverb describing the verb. Because it isn't an adverb here, it doesn't get the -t ending. It is best to just memorize til daglig as a set phrase.
If I drop til daglig and just ask Hvad laver du?, does it still mean 'What do you do for a living?'
Usually, no. Without til daglig, the question Hvad laver du? means 'What are you doing?' right now in this exact moment. Adding til daglig is what changes the focus from a present, ongoing action to a general routine or profession.