arbeitet

arbeitet is a German verb form meaning "works" or "is working." It is the third-person singular present tense of arbeiten, the infinitive meaning "to work." The verb is regular (a weak verb) and follows the standard German present-tense paradigm: ich arbeite, du arbeitest, er/sie/es arbeitet, wir arbeiten, ihr arbeitet, sie arbeiten. The form arbeitet specifically marks a singular third-person subject.

Usage and meaning

In ordinary speech, arbeitet describes performing work or labor, whether as a job or as a task. Examples: Er arbeitet heute im Büro. (He is working at the office today.) Die Maschine arbeitet zuverlässig. (The machine is working reliably.) Sie arbeitet an einem neuen Projekt. (She is working on a new project.) The verb forms part of many common phrases and collocations tied to employment, daily tasks, and the functioning of devices or systems.

Grammar notes

The perfect tense is formed with haben plus gearbeitet: Er hat heute gearbeitet. As a finite verb, arbeiten and its forms are used across tenses and moods with appropriate auxiliaries and modal operators. The noun Arbeit (labor, work) shares the same root, and the verb has cognates in other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch arbeid.

Pronunciation and morphology

arbeiten is pronounced with the stem arbeiten- and the 3rd person singular form ending in -et: arbeitet [ˈaʁ.baɪ̯tət]. The present tense forms illustrate standard German verb endings, with -est for du arbeitest and -et for er/sie/es arbeitet.

Etymology

The verb derives from the noun Arbeit, with roots in Old High German arâbeit/arbeit and related forms in other Germanic languages. The pair is closely linked in meaning and usage, reflecting the core concept of labor across related languages.