What are the List of Occupations and Professions in French with articles, Pronunciation, origin of words and with tons of examples?

It is likely that whenever we meet someone, they will ask you about your job and what you are doing. Would it not be nice if you could answer your occupation in French? For saying this, you need to know the List of Occupations and Professions in French. In this blog, you will learn to say about your profession or ask about someone’s occupation / job in French. The below are the main topics which we will cover as a part of this blog.

1. What is the terminology for “Occupation” and “Profession” in French?
2. What are the List of Occupations and Professions in French with articles and Pronunciation?
3. Basic questions on profession in French or Occupation in French .

Why is it important that you learn the list of Professions in French or List of Occupations in French?

It is likely that whenever we meet someone, they will ask you about your job and what you are doing. How would you say that you are a carpenter or you are working in real estate? Would it not be nice if you could answer your occupation in French? In this blog, you will learn to say about your profession or ask about someone’s occupation / job in French.

If you’re to ever learn French properly, or if you want to live and work in France, you better get to know the terms for List of Occupations and Professions in French.

It’s of course quite near impossible to list all possible professions, but there are some common ones and the rules that you should know.

• Many French professions have only a masculine form.
• Even if you are a female professor, for example a female professor, you say “un professeur”, which is the masculine form, including the masculine article, un.

Notes About “Un,” “Une,” and “Etre”

• In Canada, the feminine form which is “une professeure” exists. In France, however, this is usually considered incorrect.
• You can say “une prof.” which is technically not correct but it is a colloquial way of saying “a professor”
• Do not use an article between the verb être and someone’s profession, as in these examples:
  • Je suis peintre. – I’m a painter.
  • Il va être médecin. – He’s going to be a doctor.

Interesting Note about France (and Europe for that matter)

• In France, asking about ones profession is a personal question and should not be asked without being more than an acquaintance.
• If you have to ask (for reason, there may be many), ask your question starting with “Si ce n’est pas indiscret…”, which is, “If you don’t mind my asking …”
• While in English, one simply says the profession such as “actor,” in French the word is always preceded by the article.

Other French Wordlists

Some interesting questions related to the List of Professions in French or List of Occupations in French with example sentences:

1. How do you say your profession informally in French?
   1. “What is your job?” when asked informally is translated as “Quelle est ta profession?”.
   2. “Quelle est ta profession?” can be broken down into 4 parts:
   3. which; what à feminine singular à Quelle
   4. is à 3rd person singular àest
   5. your àinformal feminine singular à ta
   6. profession à profession
2. What are the most common occupations or professions in France?
   1. The industries currently dominating the employment market are health and social care, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing.
   2. The most in-demand jobs are expected to be in construction, followed by the accommodation and food sector, and professional services.
3. How do you say your profession formally in French?
   1. “What is your job?” when asked informally is translated as “Quelle est votre profession?”.
   2. “Quelle est votre profession?” can be broken down into 4 parts:
   3. which; what à feminine singular à Quelle
   4. is à 3rd person singular àest
   5. your àinformal feminine singular à votre
   6. profession à profession

What is the terminology for “Occupation” and “Profession” in French for A – D?

Why is the list of occupations in French important? Whether you are a novice or whether you are meeting new people, whether you are discussing with family or whether you are dating, you will have to explain about the job which you are doing, your parents job or the job that you are studying college for.

The list of professions in French or the list of occupations in French requires a new list of vocabulary. There are many occupational words to learn in French and you can find a large list below. This is the list of occupations in French or Professions in French for jobs starting from alphabets A – D.

What is the terminology for “Occupation” and “Profession” in French for E – M?

Well Well well… we are done with so many professions from A- E. The list of professions in French or the list of occupations in French is indeed a vast list but nevertheless, we shall persevere J . There are quite a few more occupational words to learn in French. This is the list of occupations in French or Professions in French for jobs from E – M.

What is the terminology for “Occupation” and “Profession” in French for N – Z?

THANK GOD!!! That is 2 sets of professions in French or Occupations in French which we have just completed…. just one more set of French professions to go J … This is the list of occupations in French or Professions in French for jobs from N – Z.

Some proud French professions

When you walk through a French village or a town, one thing which you will certainly see is the following shop signs proudly proclaiming:

• The pastry chef – pâtissier/pâtissière
• The pork butcher – charcutier/charcutière
• The brewer – brasseur/brasseuse
• The baker – boulanger/boulangère
• The butcher – boucher/bouchère
• The hairdresser – coiffeur/coiffeuse

Respectable Titles for certain French Professions

Like in the rest of the world, certain job titles carry respect and also carry specific abbreviations. Like you have “Doctor” added before the name of a doctor. Take a look at the following jobs and their titles (in bold):

• médecin (doctor) — docteur
• avocat/avocate (lawyer) — maître
• prêtre (priest) — curé/ abbé
• professeur (professor) — prof
• diplomate (diplomat) — Excellence
• evêque (bishop) — Excellence

For example, when addressing a doctor, you don’t directly say the name but you say “docteur” before the name:

• Voici mon médecin militaire, le docteur Vivek.

TRANSLATION: This is my medical officer, Dr. Vivek.

Abbreviations for professions

When you are talking to a saint, you dont say “Hello Teresa” you say “Saint Teresa”. So when you are learning about the list of Professions in French or List of Occupations in French, you should know how to address people having this professions.

• Docteur — Dr/Drs
• Maître — Me/Mes
• Professeur — Pr/Prs
• Monseigneur — Mgr (Monsignor)
• Lieutenant — Lt (Lieutenant)
• Capitaine — Cne (Captain)
• Général — Gal (General)
• Colonel — Cel (Colonel)
• Commandant — Cdt (Commander)
• Maréchal — Mal (Marshall)
• Son Excellence — S.E. (His excellence)
• Prêtre/Père — P. (Priest)
• Saint — St/Ste (Saint)