Questions & Answers about ¿A qué te dedicas?
Why does this question start with A instead of just ¿Qué?
The verb dedicarse (to do for a living / to dedicate oneself) requires the preposition a when you mention what the job or activity is. When asking the question, that a must move to the very beginning, making it literally "To what do you dedicate yourself?"
Why is the word te used here?
The verb is dedicarse, which is a reflexive verb. The te part essentially means "yourself" for the informal "you" (tú). If you were asking someone formally (usted), it would change to ¿A qué se dedica?
Can I just ask ¿Qué haces? to find out what someone does for a living?
You can, but ¿Qué haces? most commonly means "What are you doing (right now)?" While context can sometimes make it mean "What is your job?", ¿A qué te dedicas? is the standard, foolproof way to ask about someone's profession in Spanish.
How would I typically answer this question?
You can answer with Soy followed by your profession (like Soy médico), or Trabajo como... (I work as...). If you want to use the grammar from this current lesson, you could say something like Sigo estudiando (I am still studying)!
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