Learn English – Work on (doing) something and work at (doing) something

connotationsdifferenceidiomsphrasal-verbs

What's the difference between work on and work at, and what's the right way to use them?

We're working on/ at our relationship.

I need to work on/at my German- it's getting rusty.

We're working on/at getting everything ready on time.

He's out front, working on/at his car.

Best Answer

"Working on" is appropriate for all of them.

"Working at" might be used for something in the future, e.g. "We're working at getting everything ready on time.", though "on" is probably the more common.

That said, I'd not be surprised if someone states the usage is different in another locale.

"He is working at Deutsche Bank" is used as the preposition for a specific place of work, or the alternative, "He is working for Deutsche Bank."

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