Applying for jobs (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Applying for jobs (Trouver un emploi)
Useful vocabulary
Learning job-related vocabulary is essential for discussing work opportunities and career plans in French. These terms will help you navigate conversations about employment, interviews, and workplace situations.
| French | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| chercher | to look for | - |
| compter sur | to count on | - |
| emploi (m) | job, position, post | masculine |
| entretien (m) | interview | masculine |
| gagner | to earn | - |
| hôtel (m) | hotel | masculine |
| inquiet / être inquiet | worried | - |
| libre | free, available | - |
| personnalité (f) | personality | feminine |
| pratique | practical | - |
| salaire (m) | salary | masculine |
| travail (m) | work | masculine |
| responsable | responsible | - |
Pay special attention to the gender of nouns - emploi, entretien, travail, and salaire are all masculine, while personnalité is feminine. This will be important when using articles and adjectives.
Grammar: Using different tenses for job applications
When discussing your work experience and future career plans, it's important to use a variety of tenses to show complexity and demonstrate your language skills. Each tense serves a specific purpose in describing your relationship with work.
Present tense
Use this when talking about your current job or general work habits:
- je travaille - I work / I am working
Perfect tense
Perfect for describing completed past work experience:
- j'ai travaillé - I worked / I have worked
Imperfect tense
Ideal for describing ongoing past work or what you used to do:
- je travaillais - I used to work / I was working
Future tense
Express your definite future plans:
- je travaillerai - I will work
Immediate future
Show immediate or near-future intentions:
- je vais travailler - I'm going to work
Conditional tense
Useful for polite expressions or hypothetical situations:
- je travaillerais - I would work
- je voudrais travailler - I would like to work
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't use the same tense throughout your job interview or application. Mixing tenses naturally shows advanced language skills and makes your speech more engaging and authentic.
Example sentences with translations
These sentences demonstrate how to use different tenses naturally when discussing work:
Worked Example: Using Different Tenses in Job Contexts
Present: Je travaille dans un magasin le week-end. (I work in a shop at weekends.)
Perfect: J'ai travaillé dans un hôtel l'été dernier. (I worked in a hotel last summer.)
Imperfect: Quand j'étais plus jeune, je travaillais dans le jardin. (When I was younger, I used to work in the garden.)
Future: Je travaillerai comme professeur après mes études. (I will work as a teacher after my studies.)
Conditional: Je voudrais travailler dans le secteur médical. (I would like to work in the medical sector.)
Useful phrases for job interviews
During job interviews, certain expressions can help you communicate effectively and show your engagement with the conversation.
Ça m'inquiète - I'm worried about that
This phrase is useful when discussing concerns or challenges in a potential role.
Pronunciation tip: Remember that "inquiète" sounds like "an-kee-ET" with the stress on the final syllable.
Job interview dialogue example
Here's a realistic conversation between two people discussing a job interview:
Dialogue Example: Discussing Job Interview Concerns
Clara: Demain, j'aurai un entretien pour un emploi dans un hôtel. Je suis inquiète. (Tomorrow, I'll have an interview for a job in a hotel. I'm worried.)
Luis: Il n'y aura pas de problèmes. Tu as déjà travaillé dans un magasin le samedi. (There won't be any problems. You've already worked in a shop on Saturdays.)
Clara: Ah oui, et mon patron a dit que je m'entendais bien avec les clients. (Oh yes, and my boss said that I got on well with customers.)
This dialogue shows how to discuss job interviews naturally, using different tenses and expressing both concerns and confidence.
Translation exercises
Practice your understanding with these translation tasks:
Translation Practice
French to English
- Je veux travailler dans un magasin en ville.
- Ma meilleure copine a un travail dans un petit musée car elle adore l'histoire.
English to French
- I need money and fortunately I have an interview with the boss.
- My dream is to be a singer because one can become famous.
Answers
- I want to work in a shop in town.
- My best friend has a job in a small museum because she loves history.
- J'ai besoin d'argent et, heureusement, j'ai un entretien avec le patron.
- Mon rêve est d'être chanteur parce qu'on peut devenir célèbre.
Key Points to Remember:
- Use a variety of tenses when discussing work to show language complexity and natural progression from past experience to future plans
- Key job vocabulary includes emploi (job), entretien (interview), travail (work), and salaire (salary)
- The phrase je voudrais travailler (I would like to work) is particularly useful for expressing career aspirations politely
- When listening to job-related conversations, focus on understanding the context rather than every single word
- Practice using ça m'inquiète (I'm worried about that) to express concerns during interviews naturally