French · Home, Clothes & Daily Life

"Job" in French: travail

le travail

Say it: trah-VYEmasculine · le travailnoun/tʁa.vaj/

Note: informal: le boulot

Job in French is often le travail, masculine. Mon travail means my job/work. Informal speech loves le boulot. Métier stresses the profession/trade.

Small talk

Mon travail commence à neuf heures.
My job starts at nine.
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How to pronounce travail

Say it

trah-VYE

/tʁa.vaj/

Travail: trah-VYE (final l like y glide). Boulot: boo-LOH.

"Job" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le travailwork / the job

Default.

mon travailmy job

Possessive.

le boulotwork (informal)

Casual.

un métiera profession / trade

Career identity.

How to use travail in real life

  1. 1Small talk

    Mon travail commence à neuf heures.

    My job starts at nine.

    Mon travail.

  2. 2After hours

    Je parle pas de travail le week-end.

    I don't talk about work on weekends.

    De travail.

  3. 3Stress

    Le travail est intense en ce moment.

    Work is intense right now.

    Le travail.

Mistakes English speakers make with travail

Incorrect: Ma travail.

Correct: Mon travail.

Travail is masculine.

Incorrect: J'ai un job (always).

Correct: J'ai un travail. / J'ai un boulot. / J'ai un job.

Job is used casually, but travail/boulot are safer everyday French.

Good to know

Job exists in French slang (un petit job), especially for student gigs. For a stable role, travail, poste, or métier sound more natural. Au travail means "at work" or "let's get to work."

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Catching up after vacation

  1. ChatPal

    Tu reprends le travail lundi ?

    Are you back at work Monday?

  2. You

    Oui, le travail m'attend déjà.

    Yes, work is already waiting for me.

  3. ChatPal

    Courage.

    Hang in there.

  4. You

    Merci.

    Thanks.

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"Job" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Job" in French

How do you say job in French?

Often le travail; informal le boulot.

Travail vs métier?

Travail is work/job; métier is the profession/trade.

Can I say un job?

Yes casually, especially for a side gig.

How do you pronounce travail?

trah-VYE.

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