A Bit of French with A&C Podcast Ep.9: Nos Métiers

Here’s some useful vocabulary featured in this podcast for you to learn and/or review:

• le boulot = work/job (familiar)
• les jobs = jobs
• changer d’avis = to change one’s mind
• l’enseignement = education / teaching
• être en représentation = to be performing (stage)
• un conservatoire d’art dramatique = a dramatic arts conservatory
• avoir les chevilles qui enflent (exp.) = to get too big for your britches [lit. to get swelling ankles]
• en revenir à [quelque chose] = to go back to [something] (in speech)
• avoir à cœur de [faire] = to take to heart / to care to [do]
• Ce n’est pas mon dada ! (exp.) = It’s not my cup of tea! [lit. It’s not my hobby horse!]
• avoir des crises d’urticaire = to have outbreaks of hives / to break out in a rash
• que ce soit… = whether it be…
• une caisse = a till [US: cash register]
• le machin = thingy / stuff
• une crise d’angoisse = an anxiety attack
• Ce n’est pas mon truc (exp.) = It’s not my thing
• pour le coup = in this case
• un gène = a gene
• une brocante = garage sale / bric-a-brac
• le bagoût = smooth, slick talking / the gift of gab
• la saleté = dirt, dirtiness
• en tous genres = of all kinds
• le soin = care
• avoir hâte de [faire] = can’t wait to [do]
• une baguette magique = a magic wand
• se lancer dans une carrière = to embark on a career
• des tonnes et des tonnes = tons and tons
• les loisirs créatifs = arts and crafts
• la papeterie = stationery (paper)
• la calligraphie = calligraphy / lettering
• un atelier = a workshop
• Je me tâte (exp.) = I’m playing with the idea [lit.I’m palpating myself]
• dégoûter [quelqu’un] = to disgust [someone]

Professions mentioned by A&C (i.e. in the feminine form):

• institutrice / maîtresse / maîtresse des écoles = primary school teacher
• avocate = lawyer
• prof de français / d’anglais = French / English teacher (secondary or high school)
• actrice = actress
• prof particulière = private tutor
• travailler dans la vente = to work in sales
• les professions médicales = medical professions
• cheffe cuistot (familiar version of cheffe cuisinière) / cheffe gastronomique = chef

Proper Nouns:

• Victor Hugo (famous French author)
• Édimbourg (Edinburgh – Scotland’s capital city)

Ready for a little challenge? Listen out for this sentence taken from the podcast:

“- Est-ce que tu as des métiers que tu sais que tu n’aurais pas aimé faire ?
– Moi, tout de suite, c’est la vente : quelle horreur !
[…] J’aurais eu des crises d’urticaire avant d’aller au travail !“

To help you practise your grammar, test yourself with this special Notebook comprising the following Kwiziq lessons related to this sentence:

• Asking yes/no questions in French with intonation, est-ce que, n’est-ce pas
• Que = Whom/which/that
• Connaître vs savoir = to know something vs to know how to do in French
• Conjugate regular -er, -ir, -dre verbs (+ avoir) in the conditional past in French
• Quel/quelle/quels/quelles + [nom] = What a [noun]
• Conjugate verbs with irregular past participles in the conditional past in French
• Avant de + infinitive = Before + -ing in French

Want to practise some French grammar while enjoying a job-themed conversation? Then you’re going to love this Fill-in-the-Blanks exercise 😍:

• Les futurs métiers de mes enfants (Le Futur Simple) – B1

Want to practise your French knowledge further? Have a go at these work-themed Kwiziq exercises:

• Fill-in-the-Blanks – Un petit job en plein air (B1 – Grape Harvest Vocabulary)
• Dictée (Premium subscribers only) – Emploi de ménage (C1)
• Writing Challenge (Premium subscribers only) – Quitting a job (A2)

Not Premium yet? Now’s a great time to upgrade! You’ll get unlimited exercises, kwizzes and multiple notebooks to help you stay organised and make progress faster, plus Weekend Workouts exercises every week.