Wofür interessierst du dich, und was machst du später beruflich damit?

What are you interested in, and what will you do with that professionally later?

Breakdown of Wofür interessierst du dich, und was machst du später beruflich damit?

• und: and
• du: you
• später: later
• was: what
• machen: to do
• dich: yourself
• beruflich: professional
• damit: with that
• sich interessieren für: to be interested in
• wofür: for what

Questions & Answers about Wofür interessierst du dich, und was machst du später beruflich damit?

Why does the sentence say interessierst du dich instead of just interessierst du?

In German, sich interessieren für is a reflexive verb: literally, “to interest oneself in something.”

• ich interessiere mich für …
• du interessierst dich für …
• er/sie/es interessiert sich für …

So dich is the reflexive pronoun that goes with du.

English says “What are you interested in?”, but German literally says “For what do you interest yourself?” → Wofür interessierst du dich?

Without dich, the sentence is ungrammatical in this structure.

What does wofür mean, and how is it formed?

Wofür literally means “for what” or “what for”, and it’s formed from:

• wo- (a question prefix referring to “what/which thing”)
• für (the preposition “for”)

So:

• für
  • was = für was (colloquial: “for what”)
• wofür = “for what” in a more standard, compact question form

In many “preposition + what” questions, German uses wo- + preposition:

• womit = with what
• woran = on/about what
• wovon = of/from what

What is the difference between wofür interessierst du dich and für was interessierst du dich?

They mean the same thing: “What are you interested in?”

The difference is style:

• Wofür interessierst du dich?
  – More standard/neutral.
  – Preferred in writing and in careful speech.

• Für was interessierst du dich?
  – Very common in everyday spoken German.
  – Sounds a bit more casual/colloquial.

Both are correct and widely used, but wofür is the “textbook” choice.

Why does the preposition für move into wofür instead of staying next to dich?

In German, when you make a question about something governed by a preposition, that preposition usually gets “pulled” into a wo- word:

• Du interessierst dich für Musik.
• Question: Wofür interessierst du dich?

This is a standard pattern:

• Ich warte auf den Bus. → Worauf wartest du? (What are you waiting for?)
• Wir sprechen über das Projekt. → Worüber sprecht ihr? (What are you talking about?)

You can keep für separate with was (Für was interessierst du dich?), but wofür is the typical structure with sich interessieren für.

Could you also say Was interessiert dich? and what is the difference?

Yes, Was interessiert dich? is correct, but it has a slightly different structure and nuance:

• Wofür interessierst du dich?
  – Uses the reflexive verb sich interessieren für.
  – Focus: What are you (actively) interested in?

• Was interessiert dich?
  – Uses interessieren in the sense “to interest (someone)”.
  – Literally: What interests you? (What do you find interesting?)

In most everyday contexts they can be used interchangeably, but grammatically:

• du is the subject in Wofür interessierst du dich?
• was is the subject in Was interessiert dich?, and dich is the object.

What does beruflich mean here?

Beruflich means “professionally” or “as a job / in your career.”

In was machst du später beruflich damit? it narrows the meaning of machst:

• Not just: “What will you do with it later?”
• But: “What will you do with it later *as your profession / in your career?”*

You could paraphrase:

• Was willst du später beruflich damit machen?
  = What do you want to do with it later as a job?

What is the function of damit in was machst du später beruflich damit?

Damit literally means “with that” and refers back to something mentioned earlier—in this sentence, to the thing you are interested in.

So:

• Wofür interessierst du dich …? → for what / in what are you interested?
• … und was machst du später beruflich damit? → and what will you do later professionally with that (interest/that thing)?

Damit is a pronominal adverb (da- + preposition), very common in German:

• mit + dem → damit (with it/that)
• über + das → darüber (about it/that)

Why is the present tense machst used for a future meaning?

German often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when the context clearly indicates that the meaning is future:

• Was machst du später beruflich damit?
  Literally: “What do you do later professionally with it?”
  Natural meaning: “What will you do later (in life) as a job with it?”

Just like in English “I’m moving to Berlin next year” (present form, future meaning), German can say:

• Ich gehe morgen ins Kino. = I’m going to the cinema tomorrow.

You could also use the explicit future:

• Was wirst du später beruflich damit machen?
  – also correct, slightly more “marked” or formal.

Can the word order in was machst du später beruflich damit be changed?

There is some flexibility, but not everything is equally natural. Possible variants:

• Was machst du später beruflich damit? (very natural)
• Was machst du später damit beruflich? (possible, but “beruflich” feels a bit displaced)
• Was machst du damit später beruflich? (also possible; emphasizes with that a bit more)

You cannot move machst away from the second position in a main clause:

• ✅ Was machst du … ?
• ❌ Was du machst später beruflich damit?

Rule: in a German main clause, the conjugated verb must be in second position (V2 position).

Why is there a comma before und in this sentence?

In German, you must put a comma between two main clauses, even if they are joined by und.

The sentence contains two full main clauses:

1. Wofür interessierst du dich,
2. und was machst du später beruflich damit?

Each has its own verb and subject. Therefore German punctuation requires a comma:

• …, und …

In English, the comma before and is often optional; in German, in this structure, it is mandatory.

Can you split this into two separate questions?

Yes, very naturally. You can say:

1. Wofür interessierst du dich?
2. Was machst du später beruflich damit?

This is often clearer in spoken language, and especially in a teaching context or an interview. The combined version simply links the two related questions into one sentence.

How would the sentence change if I speak formally to someone (Sie instead of du)?

For formal address (Sie), both the verb and the reflexive pronoun change:

• Wofür interessieren Sie sich, und was machen Sie später beruflich damit?

Changes:

• interessierst → interessieren
• du → Sie
• dich → sich
• machst → machen

What is the difference between sich für etwas interessieren and an etwas interessiert sein?

Both express interest, but they have different structures and slightly different nuances.

1. sich für etwas interessieren (reflexive verb)

   • Ich interessiere mich für Psychologie.
   • Emphasizes your active interest, more dynamic.

2. an etwas interessiert sein (adjective + preposition)

   • Ich bin an Psychologie interessiert.
   • Sounds a bit more formal, somewhat more static in feel, like a state.

You can ask:

• Wofür interessierst du dich?
• Woran bist du interessiert?

In everyday conversation, sich für etwas interessieren is more common.