Learn basic French vocabulary for occupations
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| vendeur |
| chômeur |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn more French words for occupations. |
| But first, did you know there’s a special job in France that involves making wine taste richer and better? Can you guess what this job is? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| maçon |
| "construction worker" |
| [SLOW] maçon |
| maçon |
| Did you know that in France, many houses are still built with stone or brick? |
| The maçons, or construction workers, are often experts in old techniques—like stone masonry. That’s why many French villages still look so charming and traditional! |
| Oscar and Emily talk while overlooking a construction site. |
| Oscar: Je pense que les maçons construisent une maison. |
| Emily: Construire une maison, c'est un travail difficile. |
| designer |
| "designer" |
| [SLOW] designer |
| designer |
| The word designer can mean many things in France. It can be graphic, product, fashion, interior or digital design and more. |
| But sometimes, people use the word design just to say something looks beautiful or stylish. |
| Actually, design is mostly about utility — making things useful and easy to use, not just pretty. |
| Steve discusses his start-up's branding with Susan. |
| Steve: Nous avons besoin d'un nouveau logo. Nous avons demandé de l'aide à un designer. |
| Susan: Un bon logo, c'est important. J'ai hâte de le voir. |
| soldat |
| "soldier" |
| [SLOW] soldat |
| soldat |
| France has a long military history, and soldiers—soldats—are often seen during national holidays. |
| For example, on July 14th, Bastille Day, soldiers parade down the Champs-Élysées in front of the president. It's a big national event. |
| Geoffroy talks to Tom about uniforms. |
| Geoffroy: Comme la police, les soldats ont aussi des uniformes. |
| Tom: Les uniformes permettent de les reconnaître facilement. |
| entrepreneur |
| "entrepreneur" |
| [SLOW] entrepreneur |
| entrepreneur |
| In France, many people dream of being entrepreneurs because it means creating something new and being your own boss. |
| Did you know that Paris is one of the top cities in Europe for startups? |
| So, entrepreneurs in France are part of a big and growing community! |
| Lina talks to Anne about her family. |
| Lina: Mon frère est très occupé. Il est entrepreneur et il a trois entreprises. |
| Anne: Trois entreprises ? C'est beaucoup de travail ! |
| prêtre |
| "priest" |
| [SLOW] prêtre |
| prêtre |
| Did you know there are about 45,000 churches in France? |
| That means there are many priests working all over the country. |
| Priests can help people with important events like weddings, baptisms, and funerals.” |
| Erica asks Tom about his weekend plans. |
| Erica: Tu fais quelque chose de spécial ce week-end ? |
| Tom: Je vais aller à l'église pour parler à un prêtre. |
| propriétaire |
| "landlord" |
| [SLOW] propriétaire |
| propriétaire |
| In France, propriétaire means someone who owns a house or an apartment. |
| But many people can’t afford to be propriétaires because it costs a lot of money. |
| Also, propriétaire can mean owning other things, like a car or a business. |
| Emily talks about her apartment with Jack. |
| Emily: J'aime mon appartement. Mon propriétaire est gentil. |
| Jack: Des bons propriétaires, ça fait une grande différence. |
| artiste |
| "artist" |
| [SLOW] artiste |
| artiste |
| France has given the world so many great artists—and it still inspires tons of creatives today. It’s honestly one of the most iconic countries when it comes to art. |
| Oscar admires paintings at a gallery with Tom. |
| Oscar: Regarde ces tableaux. L'artiste peint bien. |
| Tom: Oui, ils sont beaux. |
| chômeur |
| "unemployed" |
| [SLOW] chômeur |
| chômeur |
| In French, there’s a difference between être au chômage (literally “to be in unemployment”) and être sans emploi (literally “to be **without employment”*). |
| If you say je suis au chômage, it usually means you’re getting unemployment benefits |
| But if you say je suis sans emploi, it just means you don’t have a job—maybe you’re looking, maybe not, and you might not be receiving any money from the government. |
| And guess what? Un chômeur (an unemployed person) can be both! Someone can be out of work and getting benefits—or not. |
| Susan shares personal updates with Erica. |
| Erica: Comment va ton petit ami ? |
| Susan: Pas très bien. Il est chômeur en ce moment. |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in French. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "construction worker"? |
| maçon |
| maçon |
| And how to say "designer"? |
| designer |
| designer |
| How about "soldier"? |
| soldat |
| soldat |
| Let's try with "entrepreneur"! |
| entrepreneur |
| entrepreneur |
| What about "priest"? |
| prêtre |
| prêtre |
| Do you remember how to say "landlord"? |
| propriétaire |
| propriétaire |
| And how to say "artist"? |
| artiste |
| artiste |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "unemployed"? |
| chômeur |
| chômeur |
| Did you know there’s a special job in France that involves making wine taste richer and better? Can you guess what this job is? |
| It’s the job of a cognac distiller, distillateur de cognac in French! These skilled workers turn wine into brandy, making high-quality cognac by enhancing its flavors. This process takes precision, patience, and years of practice to get the taste just right. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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