Le travail at C1 — idioms of the grind
On this page
How natives really talk about work — the idioms.
📓 Expressions du boulot
1🔊
to work (colloq.)
2🔊
to earn a living
3🔊
to top up one’s income
4🔊
to have a lot on one’s plate
5🔊
to work flat out
6🔊
to be swamped
7🔊
a job (slang)
8🔊
to make ends meet
9🔊
to climb the ladder
10🔊
to work oneself to death
🔊 Example sentences
J’ai du pain sur la planche cette semaine.I’ve got a lot on my plate this week.
Elle travaille d’arrache-pied.She’s working flat out.
On n’arrive pas à joindre les deux bouts.We can’t make ends meet.
💡 Your C1 goal
At C1 you’re refining style: choosing between correct options for tone and precision. Notice how native writers and speakers deploy this, and imitate deliberately.
Feeling shaky? Step back to Le Travail at B2. Comfortable? Level up to Le Travail at C2.
Il a gravi tous les échelons.He climbed the whole ladder.
✍️ Practice
J’ai du pain sur la ___ . (a lot to do) (idiome)
Show answer
planche
Je suis ___ , je te rappelle. (swamped) (débordé)
Show answer
débordé
Gravir les ___ . (career ladder) (idiome)
Show answer
échelons
🎮 Practise
🃏 Memory match pair FR ↔ EN
🎮 Practise this with games
Learn faster with a native teacherYour first 20-minute lesson is free — no card, no commitment.
Book a free lesson