How to Say “Work” in French

Ways to say it

The most common way to express the concept of work, labour, employment or an occupation is through the noun travail. You can also use the synonym profession to refer to a person's profession. If you are talking about the action of working, you should use the verb travailler, such as in the phrase travailler dur (to work hard). For the specific act of looking for employment, the phrase chercher un emploi is used.

Which one should you use?

While travail is the general term for labour or an occupation, it is not used for creative works. To refer to a work of art or a masterpiece, use œuvre. If the sense of 'work' emphasizes the act of making something or the resulting product of an artistic or intellectual process, use création.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

There are several levels of formality for the word 'work'. Travail is the standard term. For an informal setting, you can use boulot and in slang, you can use taf. Similarly, while travailler is the standard verb for 'to work', bosser is a common slang alternative.

Related words

Intransitive: to do a specific task (verb): travailler, bosser.

To behave in a certain way when handled. (verb): se travailler.

How does it change in a sentence?

The noun travail is masculine. For the verb meaning 'to do a specific task', use travailler or the informal bosser. There is also the reflexive verb se travailler, which means 'to behave in a certain way when handled'.

How do you pronounce it?

/tʁa.vaj/

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid using travail when you actually mean a specific 'work of art'. In those instances, you should use œuvre instead.