Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| travail acharné | masculine | |
| labeur | /la.bœʁ/ | masculine |
Both terms refer to something requiring a lot of effort to do. You can use travail acharné to describe intense, persistent or relentless effort. For more formal contexts, you might use Diligence to refer to steady and focused effort or Effort soutenu to describe sustained or continuous effort.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase travail acharné, the adjective acharné literally means 'relentless' or 'fierce', which implies a sense of tenacity in the work being performed.
Which one should you use?
While both terms translate to hard work, labeur has a more literary, heavy or archaic connotation. In contrast, travail acharné is the standard way to describe intense or relentless effort in modern French.
How does it change in a sentence?
Travail acharné is a masculine noun phrase. When used as an uncountable concept, it does not take the indefinite article un, though you may use un travail acharné when referring to specific instances.
Did you know?
- The word travail for 'work' originates from the Late Latin word tripālium, which was a torture device consisting of three stakes.
- While travail acharné describes intensity, the adjective acharné shares a root with the word for 'horn' and originally described an animal's fierce tenacity.
- In certain historical contexts, the word travail was used to describe the intense physical pain of childbirth.
Examples in context
- Le dur labeur a payé.The hard work paid off.This sentence is useful for showing how the results of labeur can be rewarding.Tatoeba #6380870 by Aiji, translation #5013005 by CK
- Traduire est un dur labeur.Translating is hard work.This sentence is useful for illustrating that a specific task can be considered a labeur.Tatoeba #12472040 by sacredceltic, translation #10131438 by DJ_Saidez
- Je salue son travail acharné.I take my hat off to him for his hard work.This sentence is useful for showing how to express recognition of someone's travail acharné.Tatoeba #339156 by pierrephi, translation #287220 by CM
- Il a travaillé avec diligence pour terminer ce projetHe worked with diligence to finish this project
- Pour réussir, il faut fournir un effort soutenuTo succeed, one must provide sustained effort
- Le succès en affaires nécessite du sérieux et de l'applicationBusiness success requires seriousness and application
- Il a bossé dur pour réussir ses examensHe worked hard to pass his exams
- Elle a trimé toute la nuit pour finir son projetShe slaved away all night to finish her project
- J'ai dû me donner du mal pour obtenir cette promotionI had to make an effort to get that promotion
- Il a charbonné tout l'été pour économiser de l'argentHe worked like a horse all summer to save money
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing his recent professional success.
- ManonFélicitations pour ta promotion, Lucas !Congratulations on your promotion, Lucas!
- LucasMerci, c'est le fruit d'un travail acharné.Thank you, it is the result of hard work.
- ManonTu mérites vraiment ce succès.You really deserve this success.
- LucasC'est gentil de ta part, Manon.That is kind of you, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hard work” translations and entries labeur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries labeur, travail, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
