French often has both a masculine form and a feminine form for many professions. Some professions use the same form for both masculine and feminine.
Education
Schools and other educational institutions employ teachers, administrators, and support staff:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un enseignant | teacher (m) |
| une enseignante | teacher (f) |
| un professeur | teacher, professor (m) |
| une professeure | teacher, professor (f) |
| un éducateur | educator (m) |
| une éducatrice | educator (f) |
| un directeur | school director, principal (m) |
| une directrice | school director, principal (f) |
| un bibliothécaire | librarian (m) |
| une bibliothécaire | librarian (f) |
| un secrétaire | secretary (m) |
| une secrétaire | secretary (f) |
| un surveillant | school supervisor, monitor (m) |
| une surveillante | school supervisor, monitor (f) |
| un infirmier scolaire | school nurse (m) |
| une infirmière scolaire | school nurse (f) |
| un agent d'entretien | janitor, maintenance worker (m) |
| une agente d'entretien | janitor, maintenance worker (f) |
| un employé de cantine | cafeteria worker (m) |
| une employée de cantine | cafeteria worker (f) |
Public service
Government and public services employ professionals in administration, emergency services, social services, and other public-facing roles:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un policier | police officer (m) |
| une policière | police officer (f) |
| un pompier | firefighter (m) |
| une pompière | firefighter (f) |
| un assistant social | social worker (m) |
| une assistante sociale | social worker (f) |
| un fonctionnaire | civil servant (m) |
| une fonctionnaire | civil servant (f) |
| un facteur | postal worker (m) |
| une factrice | postal worker (f) |
| un agent administratif | administrative officer (m) |
| une agente administrative | administrative officer (f) |
Health care
Health professions include people who diagnose, treat, and care for patients:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un médecin | doctor (m) |
| une médecin | doctor (f) |
| un infirmier | nurse (m) |
| une infirmière | nurse (f) |
| un dentiste | dentist (m) |
| une dentiste | dentist (f) |
| un pharmacien | pharmacist (m) |
| une pharmacienne | pharmacist (f) |
| un chirurgien | surgeon (m) |
| une chirurgienne | surgeon (f) |
| un psychologue | psychologist (m) |
| une psychologue | psychologist (f) |
Médecin has the same form for men and women.
For more vocabulary related to the medical field, see Medical French.
Technical and skilled professions
These jobs involve engineering, technology, construction, design, or skilled manual work:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un ingénieur | engineer (m) |
| une ingénieure | engineer (f) |
| un informaticien | IT specialist (m) |
| une informaticienne | IT specialist (f) |
| un architecte | architect (m) |
| une architecte | architect (f) |
| un mécanicien | mechanic (m) |
| une mécanicienne | mechanic (f) |
Architecte has the same form for men and women.
Business, administration, and media
These professions are related to companies, offices, professional services, and the media:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un comptable | accountant (m) |
| une comptable | accountant (f) |
| un avocat | lawyer (m) |
| une avocate | lawyer (f) |
| un secrétaire | secretary (m) |
| une secrétaire | secretary (f) |
| un directeur | director, manager (m) |
| une directrice | director, manager (f) |
| un journaliste | journalist (m) |
| une journaliste | journalist (f) |
Comptable and journaliste keep the same form for men and women.
Food, retail, and personal services
These jobs involve serving customers, preparing food, selling products, or providing personal services:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un serveur | waiter |
| une serveuse | waitress |
| un cuisinier | cook, chef (m) |
| une cuisinière | cook, chef (f) |
| un vendeur | salesman, shop assistant |
| une vendeuse | saleswoman, shop assistant |
| un coiffeur | hairdresser (m) |
| une coiffeuse | hairdresser (f) |
Questions about someone's job
These questions ask what someone does for work:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? | What do you do for a living? |
| Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? | What do you do for a living? |
| Vous faites quoi comme travail ? | What kind of work do you do? |
| Quel est votre métier ? | What is your profession? |
| Quel est ton métier ? | What is your profession? |
Qu'est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? is a common way to ask about someone's occupation.
What someone does for work
French uses être with a job title to say what someone does:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis médecin. | I'm a doctor. |
| Je suis infirmière. | I'm a nurse. |
| Il est ingénieur. | He's an engineer. |
| Elle est avocate. | She's a lawyer. |
| Mon frère est mécanicien. | My brother is a mechanic. |
| Ma sœur est journaliste. | My sister is a journalist. |
| Mon père est comptable. | My father is an accountant. |
| Ma mère est enseignante. | My mother is a teacher. |
French uses travailler instead of a job title for the place, the employer, or the field:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je travaille dans un restaurant. | I work in a restaurant. |
| Elle travaille dans un magasin. | She works in a shop. |
| Il travaille pour une entreprise. | He works for a company. |
| Nous travaillons dans l'informatique. | We work in IT. |
From learning to practice
When you meet someone in French, listen for a profession after a question about work or dans la vie. Job titles also appear frequently in introductions, profiles, news reports, and conversations about family members.