French · Everyday Verbs
"to work" in French: travailler
travailler
To work in French is travailler. Present forms include je travaille, tu travailles, on travaille. Au travail means at work or off to work as a set phrase.
Monday small talk
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How to pronounce travailler
Say it
trah-vah-YAY
/tʁa.va.je/
Trah-vah-YAY. Double l sounds like y after ai. Je travaille ends with a soft consonant: trah-VIGH.
"to work" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| travailler | to work Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| je travaille | I work / I'm working Present. | Present. |
| on travaille | we work Spoken we. | Spoken we. |
| travailler chez | to work at (a company) Employer. | Employer. |
| au travail | at work / to work Noun phrase from travail. | Noun phrase from travail. |
How to use travailler in real life
- 1Monday small talk
Tu travailles demain ou tu es off ?
Are you working tomorrow or are you off?
Tu travailles.
- 2Remote day
Aujourd'hui je travaille de la maison.
Today I'm working from home.
Je travaille de…
- 3Job search
Elle veut travailler dans le design.
She wants to work in design.
Infinitive after vouloir.
Mistakes English speakers make with travailler
Incorrect: Je suis travailler maintenant.
Correct: Je travaille maintenant.
No -ing form. Use the present: je travaille.
Incorrect: Je travaille à Microsoft chez Paris.
Correct: Je travaille chez Microsoft à Paris.
Chez for the company, à for the city.
Good to know
French work talk often includes RTT and 35-hour norms. Saying je travaille trop is common venting ; on se laisse after hours keeps life separate.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Catching up about schedules
ChatPal
Tu travailles encore tard cette semaine ?
Are you still working late this week?
You
Oui, je travaille sur un gros dossier.
Yes, I'm working on a big file.
ChatPal
Courage. Moi je travaille de neuf à six.
Hang in there. I work from nine to six.
You
Lucky you. On se voit vendredi ?
Lucky you. See you Friday?
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to work" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to work" in French
How do you conjugate travailler in the present?
Je travaille, tu travailles, il/elle travaille, nous travaillons, vous travaillez, ils/elles travaillent.
What is the difference between travail and travailler?
Travail is the noun (work). Travailler is the verb (to work).
How do I say I work from home?
Je travaille de la maison / en télétravail.
How do you pronounce travailler?
Trah-vah-YAY.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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