In French, le travail means “work” or “job.” This word is essential in everyday conversations, whether you’re discussing your profession, a task at hand, or the broader concept of labor. Think of it as covering everything from “work” to “labour” to “job.”
Latin “trepalium” (three-stake torture device!!)
→ Old French: “travailler” (to torture, to suffer)
→ Modern French: “travail” (meaning evolved from “suffering/hardship” to “work/labour”)
Etymolonline.com
Le travail refers to employment, a task, effort, or the product of labour.
Employment – A job or profession
• Job: J’ai trouvé un nouveau travail. I found a new job.
• Career: Elle aime son travail. She loves her work/job.
Task or effort – Work to be done
• Assignment: J’ai beaucoup de travail aujourd’hui. I have a lot of work today.
• Effort: C’est un travail difficile. It’s a difficult work.
Product of labor – The result of work
• Craftsmanship: C’est du beau travail! That’s beautiful work!
• Result: Montre-moi ton travail. Show me your work.
Plural: Les travaux – Works, construction, renovations
• Construction: Les travaux de rénovation commencent demain. The renovation work begins tomorrow.
• Roadwork: Attention aux travaux sur l’autoroute. Watch out for roadworks on the motorway.
Le travail c’est la santé
Work is good for you (lit. work is health)
J’ai du travail par dessus la tête
I am swamped with work (lit. I have work over my head)
C’est un travail de longue haleine
It’s a long term project
Beginner Expressions
| Aller au travail | To go to work |
| Au travail! | Let’s get to work! / Get to work! |
| (c’est du) bon travail! | Good work! / Good job! |
| Chercher du travail | To look for work/a job |
| Un jour de travail | A work day |
| Le travail, c’est la santé | Work is good for you (saying) |
languistique.com
My work is done right, with every ‘aha’ moment.
Intermediate Expressions
| Avoir du pain sur la planche | To have a lot of work to do (idiom) |
| Avoir du travail par-dessus la tête | To be swamped with work |
| Faire du télé-travail | To work remotely |
| Le monde du travail | The working world |
| être sans travail | To be unemployed / out of work |
| Le travail d’équipe | The teamwork |
| Se mettre au travail | To get down to work |
| Le travail au noir | The under-the-table work / cash-in-hand work |
| Le travail manuel | The manual labour / hands-on work |
| Un travail de longue haleine | A long-term project (lit: long breath work) |
| Un travail de titan | A herculean task |
languistique.com
Advanced expressions
| C’est du travail d’orfèvre | It’s meticulous/detailed work (lit: goldsmith’s work) |
| Le marché du travail | The job market |
| Le travail de fourmi | The painstaking work (lit: ant’s work) |
| Vivre de son travail | To earn one’s living from one’s work |
languistique.com
French is practiced, step by step, a little each day.
• Don’t say “Je suis au travail” when you mean “I’m working on something.” Say “Je travaille sur quelque chose.” The phrase “Je suis au travail” means “I’m at work” (at your workplace).
• Don’t confuse travail/travailler with the English word “travel”! This is one of the most common mistakes English speakers make. The French word for travel is voyager (verb) or le voyage (noun). Remember:
travail = work
voyage = travel.
| la tâche | task |
| le boulot | work, job (informal) |
| le job | job (informal, from English) |
| le métier | profession, trade, craft |
| un emploi | employment, job |
| l’ouvrage | work (literary/formal) |
languistique.com
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