Opinions about jobs (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Opinions about jobs
Introduction
When discussing careers and employment in French, you'll need to express your thoughts and feelings about different types of work. This topic covers essential vocabulary for talking about jobs and teaches you how to give both positive and negative opinions about various employment situations and working conditions.
This topic is particularly useful for French language exams where you may be asked to discuss your future career aspirations or give opinions about different types of work. Being able to express both positive and negative viewpoints will help you provide balanced, detailed responses.
Essential vocabulary
Here's the key vocabulary you'll need when talking about jobs and employment:
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| argent (m) | money | masculine noun |
| chercher | to look for | used when job hunting |
| client(e) (m/f) | customer | can be masculine or feminine |
| désirer | to desire/want | formal way to express wanting |
| emploi (m) | job, position, post | general word for employment |
| gagner | to earn | used with money/salary |
| heure (f) | hour | feminine noun |
| payer | to pay | can mean both to pay someone or to be paid |
| salaire (m) | salary, wage | masculine noun |
| travail (m) | work | masculine noun |
| trouver | to find | useful for job searching |
Notice that many job-related terms in French are masculine nouns (emploi, salaire, travail), but there are important exceptions like "heure" which is feminine. Always learn the gender alongside the vocabulary to avoid agreement errors later.
Expressing opinions about jobs
When giving your opinion about different types of work, you can use several phrase structures depending on whether you're talking about the present, past, or future. These expressions help you communicate your thoughts clearly about various employment experiences.
Opinion phrases
The fundamental opinion structures in French change based on the timeframe you're discussing:
- C'est... (It's...)
- C'était... (It was...)
- Ça va être... (It's going to be...)
- Il sera... (It will be...)
Positive adjectives for describing jobs
When you want to express favourable opinions about work, you can use these adjectives:
- agréable - pleasant
- excellent - excellent
- génial - great/brilliant
- facile - easy
- utile - useful
- bien payé - well-paid
Negative adjectives for describing jobs
For expressing unfavourable opinions about employment, these adjectives are useful:
- nul - rubbish/useless
- difficile - difficult
- inutile - useless
- mal payé - badly-paid
- ennuyeux - boring
Important grammar points
Understanding the grammatical rules that apply when discussing jobs is essential for accuracy in your French communication.
Adjective agreement
French adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe. This means they change their endings depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural. This is particularly important when describing jobs and work experiences.
Common mistake to avoid: Using the same adjective form regardless of the noun's gender and number. Always check what you're describing before choosing the adjective ending.
Examples:
- Les emplois sont bien payés (The jobs are well-paid) - emplois is masculine and plural, so payés takes the masculine plural ending
- L'expérience était excellente (The experience was excellent) - expérience is feminine and singular, so excellente takes the feminine singular ending
Tense usage
You can express opinions in different tenses depending on the timeframe of your job experience:
- Present tense for current opinions about your work
- Past tense for previous job experiences and how you felt about them
- Future tense for anticipated work situations and expectations
Example sentences and translations
Practical Usage Examples:
Here are real-world examples showing how to use this vocabulary and grammar in context:
French: Je trouve mon travail très intéressant. English: I find my work very interesting.
French: C'était un emploi difficile mais il était bien payé. English: It was a difficult job but it was well-paid.
French: Les clients dans ce magasin sont toujours agréables. English: The customers in this shop are always pleasant.
French: À mon avis, travailler dans un bureau, c'est ennuyeux. English: In my opinion, working in an office is boring.
Practice exercises
Practice Exercises:
Test your understanding with these translation exercises:
French to English translation
- Je cherche un emploi bien payé dans cette région.
- Les heures de travail étaient excellentes l'année dernière.
English to French translation
3. The customers argue and are not nice.
4. It was useful and interesting work.
Answers
- I'm looking for a well-paid job in this area.
- The working hours were excellent last year.
- Les clients se disputent et ne sont pas sympas/agréables.
- C'était un travail utile et intéressant.
Key Points to Remember:
- Always ensure your adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in gender and number (masculine/feminine, singular/plural)
- Use appropriate tense structures (C'est, C'était, Ça va être) depending on when you're discussing the job experience
- Learn both positive and negative opinion vocabulary to express balanced views about different types of employment
- Practice using essential job-related vocabulary in various contexts to build confidence and fluency
- Pay attention to exam questions about jobs as they often require detailed responses with clear justifications for your opinions