کار کردن

What it means

کار کردن (kâr kardan) is a Persian compound verb meaning “to work.” Built from کار (kâr) “work” + کردن (kardan) “to do.” Literally: “to do work.”

How to use it

• کجا کار می‌کنی؟ (kojâ kâr mikoni?) “Where do you work?”
• هشت ساعت در روز کار می‌کنم (hasht sâ’at dar ruz kâr mikonam) “I work eight hours a day”
• این ماشین کار نمی‌کند (in mâshin kâr nemikonad) “This machine doesn’t work”

Compound breakdown

• کار (kâr) noun: “work,” Persian root
• کردن (kardan) light verb: “to do,” Persian
• Combined: کار کردن “to do work” = to work

Common pairings

• سر کار (sar-e kâr) “at work”
• کار خوب (kâr-e khub) “good work”
• کار سخت (kâr-e sakht) “hard work”
• کارمند (kâr-mand) “employee, office worker”
• بیکار (bi-kâr) “unemployed” (literally “without work”)

Register

Neutral. The most common Persian way to talk about work in any context.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab