A2Unit 6 of the A2 course · « Au travail »
« Je suis infirmière », not « je suis une infirmière ». This page covers job names and their feminine forms, the etiquette of tu and vous at work, and how a French work call goes.
By the end of this unit you can: write a short email and handle phone calls.
To say what someone does, French uses être + the job (je suis, il est…), with no un or une. After c'est you do need un or une (c'est un médecin), and that's also the pattern when you add an adjective.
Many jobs have two forms. The common patterns: -ier → -ière, -eur → -euse, -teur → -trice, or just add -e. Words that already end in -e don't change.
Start with vous for your boss, clients and anyone you don't know. Colleagues at the same level often switch to tu quickly, but wait for them to suggest it. In Québec, tu comes much sooner. In many West African offices, vous with Monsieur or Madame stays the norm.
Most calls follow the same script: allô, say who you are, ask for the person, then you're put through or asked to leave a message. Learn the lines as whole blocks.
In je vous le passe, le means him. For a woman it's la. The pronoun goes before the verb.
Open with Madame, Monsieur, (for a stranger) or Bonjour + Madame/Monsieur + surname. Say why you're writing, ask politely, then close with Cordialement and your name.
Je voudrais and pourriez-vous are softer versions of je veux and pouvez-vous. They're the conditional, which you'll study later. For now, learn them as fixed phrases.
Alice Costa, an engineer from São Paulo, starts a new job at a company in Brussels. Help her through her first morning: a new colleague, a phone call and an email.
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? | what do you do for a living?With a friend: tu fais quoi dans la vie ? | |
| infirmier / infirmière | nurse (m / f) | |
| médecin(masculine) | doctorSame word for a woman: elle est médecin. You'll also hear une médecin. | |
| ingénieur / ingénieure | engineer (m / f)The two forms sound the same. | |
| vendeur / vendeuse | salesman / saleswoman | |
| avocat / avocate | lawyer (m / f)Un avocat is also an avocado! | |
| comptable | accountantSame form for men and women. The p is silent: « kon-tabl ». | |
| directeur / directrice | director / manager (m / f)Directeur d'école is a head teacher. |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| bureau(masculine) | office / desk | |
| collègue(masculine) | colleagueSame word for a woman: une collègue. | |
| réunion(feminine) | meetingNot a reunion! Être en réunion means to be in a meeting. | |
| entreprise(feminine) | company / business | |
| patron / patronne | boss (m / f)A little informal. In writing, say le directeur or la responsable. | |
| pause déjeuner(feminine) | lunch break | |
| vouvoyer / tutoyer | to say vous / to say tu to someone | |
| on se tutoie ? | shall we use tu?Let the more senior person suggest it. |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| allô ? | hello? (on the phone)Only on the phone. Follow it with bonjour. | |
| je voudrais parler à… | I'd like to speak to… | |
| c'est de la part de qui ? | who's calling?Literally « it's on behalf of whom? ». | |
| ne quittez pas | hold the lineLiterally « don't leave ». | |
| je vous le passe | I'll put you through (to him)For a woman: je vous la passe. | |
| il n'est pas là | he's not inFor a woman: elle n'est pas là. | |
| laisser un message | to leave a message | |
| pouvez-vous rappeler ? | can you call back?Rappeler = call back. Je vous rappelle = I'll call you back. |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Madame, Monsieur, | Dear Sir or Madam,When you don't know who will read your email. | |
| Bonjour Madame Leroy, | Dear Ms Leroy,Common in modern work emails. After Madame or Monsieur, use the surname, never the first name. | |
| je vous écris pour…Je vous écris pour confirmer la réunion. (I'm writing to confirm the meeting.) | I'm writing to… | |
| Cordialement, | Kind regards,The standard sign-off. Bien cordialement is a little warmer. | |
| pourriez-vous… ?Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le document ? (Could you send me the document?) | could you…? | |
| pièce jointe(feminine) | attachmentEn pièce jointe = attached. | |
| merci d'avance | thanks in advance |
This unit is part of French Ultimate's A2 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
Start the lessons free