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FRENCH VERB

bosser

to work (colloquial)

  • #365 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: bossé
  • Present participle: bossant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I work
  2. tu you work
  3. il, elle, on he/she works
  4. nous we work
  5. vous you work
  6. ils, elles they work

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I worked
  2. tu you worked
  3. il, elle, on he/she worked
  4. nous we worked
  5. vous you worked
  6. ils, elles they worked

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to work
  2. tu you used to work
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to work
  4. nous we used to work
  5. vous you used to work
  6. ils, elles they used to work

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will work
  2. tu you will work
  3. il, elle, on he/she will work
  4. nous we will work
  5. vous you will work
  6. ils, elles they will work

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would work
  2. tu you would work
  3. il, elle, on he/she would work
  4. nous we would work
  5. vous you would work
  6. ils, elles they would work

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I work
  2. tu (that) you work
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she work
  4. nous (that) we work
  5. vous (that) you work
  6. ils, elles (that) they work

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu work!
  2. nous work! (let’s)
  3. vous work! (plural, or formal)

How to use bosser

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Tu bosses où en ce moment ?

    Where are you working at the moment?

  2. Past

    J'ai bossé jusqu'à minuit sur ce dossier.

    I worked till midnight on that file.

  3. Imperfect

    Elle bossait dans un bar pendant ses études.

    She worked in a bar during her studies.

  4. Future

    On bossera samedi matin pour finir plus tôt.

    We'll work Saturday morning to finish earlier.

  5. Conditional

    Je bosserais bien de chez moi deux jours par semaine.

    I'd happily work from home two days a week.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que je bosse ce week-end, désolé.

    I have to work this weekend, sorry.

  7. Imperative

    Bosse un peu au lieu de regarder ton téléphone !

    Do some work instead of looking at your phone!

Good to know

  • Bosser is the everyday word for travailler, between friends and colleagues.
  • Un bosseur is a hard worker; le boulot is the job.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.