métier
/me.tje/masculine
The English word 'profession' can be translated into French as métier or profession.
Meaning: occupation (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| métier | /me.tje/ | masculine |
| profession | /pʁɔ.fɛ.sjɔ̃/ /pʁɔ.fe.sjɔ̃/ |
feminine |
Both words refer to an occupation. You can use the phrase de profession immediately after a job title to specify a person's professional background, such as saying someone is a doctor by profession.
Which one should you use?
profession is a formal term that often implies a career requiring specific higher education or professional certification.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine noun profession becomes plural by adding an 's' to form professions. The masculine noun métier becomes plural by adding an 's' to form métiers.
How do you pronounce it?
métier is pronounced /me.tje/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word profession in French can also mean a formal declaration or a public statement of faith, such as a profession de foi.
- The word métier shares an ancestor with the English word 'minister', both stemming from the Latin 'ministerium', which originally meant 'service'.
- In French, if you say someone has a 'coup de maître' or a 'coup de métier', you are saying they have performed a task with the expertise of a master professional.
Examples in context
- Il fait profession d'avocat.He is a lawyer by profession.This sentence shows how to use profession to state someone's job.Tatoeba #130337 by Julien_PDC, translation #286784 by CK
- Il est médecin de profession.He is a doctor by profession.Tatoeba #15457 by Julien_PDC, translation #286778 by CC
- Ma profession est ma passion.My profession is my passion.This sentence shows how to use profession to describe a personal connection to one's work.Tatoeba #8442923 by Aiji, translation #2054015 by AlanF_US
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are talking at a cafe about their jobs.
- ChloéQuel est ton métier, Hugo ?What is your job, Hugo?
- HugoJe suis boulanger, c'est un beau métier.I am a baker, it is a beautiful job.
- ChloéC'est un métier très difficile.It is a very difficult job.
- HugoOui, mais j'adore mon métier.Yes, but I love my job.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “profession” translations and entries métier, profession, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries métier, profession, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
