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Les Professions — French jobs vocabulary | Vocabulary

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The main jobs and professions in French — with masculine and feminine forms and audio. Jobs and what people do — « Il est médecin ». This French jobs what people do il est m decin vocabulary list gives you 22 essential words — from un médecin (a doctor) to à la retraite (retired) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about jobs what people do il est m decin, then test yourself with the games below.

Les Professions

Jobs and what people do — « Il est médecin »

Les métiers 👩‍⚕️

un médecina doctor
un(e) infirmier/-èrea nurse
un professeura teacher
un(e) ingénieur(e)an engineer
un(e) avocat(e)a lawyer
un boulangera baker
un(e) cuisinier/-èrea cook
un(e) vendeur/-eusea salesperson

Encore des métiers 👷

un(e) agriculteur/-tricea farmer
un(e) coiffeur/-eusea hairdresser
un(e) informaticien(ne)an IT worker
un(e) artistean artist
un(e) journalistea journalist
un(e) policier/-èrea police officer
un(e) architectean architect
un(e) comptablean accountant

En parler 💼

Qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ?What do you do (for work)?
Je suis…I am a…
Je travaille comme…I work as a…
chercher un emploito look for a job
au chômageunemployed
à la retraiteretired
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🎬 The 20-second version

5 quick questions on « Les Professions » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →

📘 The no-article rule

  • After être, professions take NO article: il est médecin, elle est professeur (NOT « un médecin »).
  • BUT with c’est, you DO use the article: c’est un médecin. And add an adjective → article returns: c’est un bon médecin.
  • Many jobs have feminine forms: vendeuse, coiffeuse, infirmière, avocate. Some stay the same: un/une architecte, journaliste, médecin (une médecin is now used).
  • Ask: « Qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? » / « Tu fais quoi comme travail ? »
  • States: être au chômage (unemployed), être à la retraite (retired), chercher un emploi (job-hunting).

🔊 Useful phrases

Qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ?What do you do for a living?
Je suis professeur de français.I’m a French teacher.
Elle est ingénieure chez Airbus.She’s an engineer at Airbus.
Mon frère cherche un emploi.My brother is looking for a job.

🔊 Example sentences

Il est médecin dans un hôpital.He’s a doctor in a hospital.
C’est une très bonne avocate.She’s a very good lawyer.
Ma mère est à la retraite maintenant.My mother is retired now.

✍️ Practice

« He is a doctor » = il est ___ (article?) (no article!)

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médecin

salesperson (f) = une ___ (feminine form)

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vendeuse

What do you do for work? = qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la ___ ? (idiom)

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vie

🎮 Practise this with games

🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions

How do you say « a doctor »? (recall)

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un médecin

What does « un professeur » mean? (recall)

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a teacher

How do you say « a lawyer »? (recall)

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un avocat

What does « un cuisinier/-ère » mean? (recall)

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a cook

How do you say « a farmer »? (recall)

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un agriculteur/-trice

What does « un informaticien » mean? (recall)

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an IT worker

How do you say « a journalist »? (recall)

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un journaliste

What does « un architecte » mean? (recall)

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an architect

Jobs and professions in French — FAQ

How do you say common jobs what people do il est m decin words in French?

For example: a doctor is « un médecin », a nurse is « un(e) infirmier/-ère », a teacher is « un professeur ». The full list above has 22 French jobs what people do il est m decin words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.

What are the most useful French jobs what people do il est m decin words to learn first?

Start with the basics: un médecin (a doctor), un(e) infirmier/-ère (a nurse), un professeur (a teacher), un(e) ingénieur(e) (an engineer), un(e) avocat(e) (a lawyer), un boulanger (a baker). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.

How can I memorise French jobs what people do il est m decin vocabulary?

Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.

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