Learn how to speak about jobs and professions in French. It may come in handy when meeting new people (that's one of the questions you will be asked or you will ask) or if you are planning to work in France. This lesson will allow you to make your French small talk richer and more engaging.
Gaël est pompier. Il est pompier volontaire. C'estun pompier très courageux.
No Article Please
In French, contrary to English, you put no article before the name of the profession. So:
Je suis un professeur. I'm a teacher.
Il est médecin. He is a doctor.
Remember !
When you precise things about somebody's the profession (his / her qualities), you need to add an article. However, if you are only precising the category it belongs to, there is still noartilce.
Mark est un médecin exceptionnel.(quality)
Marie est médecin généraliste. (category)
When speaking about professions, you need to remember about the masculine / feminine forms of certain professions. Many of them have only the masculine form.
Learn how to ask somebody for his / her profession. Learn different profession names in French, how to ask polite questions and what the possessive adjectives are. You will also see the difference between “tu” and “vous“, or how to politely addressto other people.
1. Dialogue: What do you do for a living ?
Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ?
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Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie Monsieur ? – Je suis professeur d’histoire. Et vous Madame, que faites-vous dans la vie ? – Je suis médecin. Je travaille dans un hôpital. Qu’est-ce que votre voisin fait dans la vie, Monsieur ? – Mon voisin ? Je crois qu’il est pompier. Que faitvotre fille dans la vie ? – Ma fille est vétérinaire. Et toi, qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie? – Je travaille dans un salon de coiffure. Je suis coiffeur.
2. Notes
[su_spoiler title=”Grammar”]
Asking questions: Est-ce que / Qu’est-ce que / Que …
Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? = What do you do for a living ? / What is your occupation ? / What do you do ? (Formal and polite expression) que = what (very common word in French). It can have several meanings. [wp-svg-icons icon=”point-right” wrap=”i”] tutoiement: using tu: informal, used only between young people or friends.
Examples:
Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? What are you doing ?
Comment vas tu ? How are you doing ? [wp-svg-icons icon=”point-right” wrap=”i”] vouvoiement: using vous: formal and polite. Used with people you don’t know or to whom you need / want to refer with respect.
Examples
– Que faites-vous dans la vie ?
– Où habitez-vous ? Where do you live ?
[wp-svg-icons icon=”point-right” wrap=”i”] est-ce que : a very common way of asking questions in French.
Qu’est-ce que …. = What do you …. (Que + est = Qu’est (e != e))
no inversion of the subject and verb in questions with est-ce que.
[wp-svg-icons icon=”point-right” wrap=”i”] Examples: Qu’est que tu fais ? Whare are you doing (right now) Qu’est ce que tu fais dans la vie ? What do you do for a living ? Où est-ce que tu travailles ? Where do you work ? Où est-ce que tu habites ? Where do you live ?
Inversion:
[wp-svg-icons icon=”point-right” wrap=”i”] Que faites-vousdans la vie ? = Qu’est-ceque vous faites dans la vie ?
It is a very formal way of asking questions in French.
Conjugation: faire | travailler
Faire ( to do )
Travailler ( to work )
je fais tu fais il fait / elle fait / on fait nous faisons vous faites ils / elles font
je travaille tu travailles il /elle / on travaille nous travaillons vous travaillez ils / elles travaillent
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[su_spoiler title=”Additional Grammar”]
Possessive adjectives (adjectifs possessifs): my, your (polite and friendly forms)
I’m speaking about my neighbour(s):
mon voisin: my neighbour
ma voisine: my (female) neighbour
mes voisins: my neighbours (the “s” in voisins is not pronounced !)
I’m speaking about your neighbour(s):
ton voisin: your neighbour
ta voisine: your (female) neighbour
tes voisins: your neigbours
I’m speaking about your neigbour(s) (polite)
votre voisin: your neighbour
vos voisins: your neighbours
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[su_spoiler title=”Pronunciation”]
/ə/ → je, que
/ɔ̃/ → mon, pompier
! monsieur /ə/
/œ/ → professeur, cœur, bonheur
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Work, Mr. Nixter, Flickr.
Boulvard St. Germain, by Roman Boed, Flickr.
3. Exercises
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4. Homework
Write in French what kind of work you do and where (in what place) you work. Record your work.
Choose 5 people from your surroundings and write what their professions are and where they work.
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