Travailler (en. To work)
/tʁavaje/
Meaning & Definition
EnglishFrench
verb
To engage in a professional or manual activity.
She works as a nurse in a hospital.
Elle travaille comme infirmière dans un hôpital.
To apply oneself to doing something.
He works hard to pass his exam.
Il travaille dur pour réussir son examen.
To invest efforts in a project.
We worked together on this project.
Nous avons travaillé ensemble sur ce projet.
Etymology
From the Latin 'tripaliare', which means 'to torment'.
Common Phrases and Expressions
work hard
to seriously apply oneself to a task.
travailler dur
work part-time
refers to a reduced professional activity.
travailler à temps partiel
work hand in hand
collaborate closely with someone.
travailler main dans la main
work on behalf of
to be employed by or act on behalf of someone.
travailler pour le compte de
work like a slave
work in a very intense or exhausting manner.
travailler comme un esclave
Related Words
work
paid or unpaid activity to produce a good or service.
travail
worker
person who performs work.
travailleur
female worker
female form of worker, person who performs work.
travailleuse
domestic worker
person employed to carry out household tasks.
travailleuse domestique
dignified work
concept of work done under good conditions.
travail dignement
Slang Meanings
to work (slang)
I need to work on a project tonight.
Je dois bosser ce soir sur un projet.
to toil
He toiled all week to finish his file.
Il a trimé toute la semaine pour boucler son dossier.
to hustle
I'm going to hustle a bit this weekend.
Je vais taffer un peu ce weekend.
to idle away time
He idled away time at the office doing nothing.
Il a fait le poireau au bureau sans rien faire.
to hang out
He spent his day hanging out instead of working.
Il a passé sa journée à glander au lieu de travailler.