Études et vie professionnelle
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name common school subjects, workplaces, and job titles.
- Describe a course of study or a job in simple present-time terms.
- Use indirect object pronouns lui and leur to say to whom something is given, told, or explained.
- Compare people, things, and activities using plus... que, moins... que, and aussi... que.
- Connect ideas using the relative pronouns qui, que, and où.
- Understand and produce short, controlled exchanges about studies, jobs, and comparisons between them.
- Apply accurate liaison and enchaînement in phrases such as un examen and avec une collègue.
- Recycle vocabulary and grammar from Units I and II, and from Chapters 11–13, while communicating about a new domain.
Communication Scenario
Léa, now feeling much better, meets with a career counselor at her university to talk about her studies and her plans for a summer internship. The counselor asks about Léa's classes and compares two possible internships at two different companies. Later, Léa writes a short message to a friend comparing her preferred internship to another option. This chapter continues Unit III, Dans la communauté, by giving you the tools to talk about school, work, and how things compare to one another.
- Learn key vocabulary for school subjects, workplaces, and jobs.
- Use the indirect object pronouns lui and leur to talk about giving, telling, and explaining.
- Compare people and things with plus, moins, and aussi... que.
- Connect ideas with the relative pronouns qui, que, and où.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports talking about school subjects, workplaces, and jobs. Nouns are listed with their article and gender; verbs are listed in the infinitive.
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| le français | French (the subject) | masculine |
| les mathématiques / les maths | mathematics / math | feminine plural; les maths is common informally |
| l'histoire | history | feminine |
| les sciences | science | feminine plural |
| l'informatique | computer science | feminine |
| le commerce | business (studies) | masculine |
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| le travail | the work, job | masculine |
| le stage | the internship | masculine |
| l'entreprise | the company | feminine |
| le bureau | the office | masculine |
| le professeur / la professeure | professor, teacher | la prof is common informally; usage may vary regionally |
| le conseiller / la conseillère | the counselor, advisor | masculine and feminine forms |
| le directeur / la directrice | the director, manager | masculine and feminine forms |
| l'employé / l'employée | the employee | masculine and feminine forms |
| le serveur / la serveuse | the server, waiter/waitress | masculine and feminine forms |
| l'ingénieur / l'ingénieure | the engineer | masculine and feminine forms |
| chercher un stage | to look for an internship | regular -er verb, recycled from Chapter 9 |
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| donner (à) | to give (to) | regular -er verb; takes an indirect object |
| expliquer (à) | to explain (to) | regular -er verb; takes an indirect object |
| téléphoner (à) | to telephone, to call (someone) | regular -er verb; takes an indirect object in French, unlike English "to call someone" |
| écrire (à) | to write (to) | irregular verb; recognition form this chapter, used only in the fixed phrase je vais lui écrire |
| plus... que | more... than | comparison |
| moins... que | less... than | comparison |
| aussi... que | as... as | comparison |
Écrire is introduced receptively above in the fixed phrase je vais lui écrire. Its full conjugation is not required for production in this chapter.
Pronunciation Focus
Liaison makes a normally silent final consonant audible when the next word begins with a vowel sound. Enchaînement carries a final consonant that is already pronounced into the next vowel-initial word, so the two words flow together without a pause. School and work vocabulary give useful practice with both.
- Liaison: in un examen, the normally silent -n of un is pronounced before the vowel-initial noun.
- Liaison: in des étudiants, the normally silent -s of des is pronounced as a linking [z] before the vowel-initial noun.
- Liaison: in plus intéressant, the final -s of plus links as [z] before the vowel-initial adjective.
- Enchaînement: in avec une collègue, the final -c of avec, which is already pronounced [k], carries smoothly into the vowel-initial word that follows.
Pronunciation drill: Say each phrase aloud three times, linking the sounds as marked: un examen [œ̃n‿ɛgzamɛ̃], des étudiants [dez‿etydjɑ̃], plus intéressant [plyz‿ɛ̃teʁesɑ̃], and avec une collègue [avɛk‿yn kɔlɛg].
In some varieties of French, un merges with the nasal vowel in in, giving [ɛ̃] instead of [œ̃]. The broad-standard pronunciation taught here is [œ̃]; the merged form is a regional and individual variation, not an error.
Language Focus: Indirect Objects, Comparison, and Relative Clauses
Purpose: talk about school and work, say to whom something is given or explained, compare people and things, and connect ideas with relative clauses.
14.1 Indirect object pronouns lui and leur
An indirect object receives the action of a verb through the preposition à, usually a person: you telephone someone, you explain something to someone. French replaces à + [person] with lui (to him, to her) or leur (to them). Like the direct object pronouns you learned in Chapter 9, lui and leur are placed directly before the conjugated verb.
- Je téléphone à la conseillère. → Je lui téléphone. I telephone the counselor. → I telephone her. à + la conseillère = lui
- Le professeur explique la leçon aux employés. → Le professeur leur explique la leçon. The professor explains the lesson to the employees. → The professor explains the lesson to them. aux employés = leur
- Elle ne lui donne pas son numéro. She doesn't give him/her their number. ne + lui + verb + pas
Lui and leur do not show gender: lui can mean "to him" or "to her," and the surrounding context makes the meaning clear. This is different from the direct object pronouns le and la, which you already know. In this chapter, lui and leur are used only with clear, explicitly named people or organizations, such as a specific company or a specific person mentioned just before the pronoun. Practice these exact transformations: à Sophie → lui; aux employés → leur; aux entreprises → leur.
14.2 Comparing people and things
- Mon cours d'histoire est plus intéressant que mon cours de maths. My history class is more interesting than my math class.
- Cette entreprise est aussi grande que l'université. This company is as big as the university.
French requires que before the second term of a comparison: plus intéressant que l'autre. English may sometimes omit a relative marker such as "that," but it does not normally omit "than" when the second term is stated. Note that this comparison que is a different word-function from the relative pronoun que you will learn next, even though the spelling is the same.
14.3 Relative clauses with qui, que, and où
A relative clause adds information about a noun without starting a new sentence. qui replaces the subject of the added clause, que replaces its direct object, and où replaces an expression of place.
- J'ai un professeur qui explique très bien. I have a professor who explains very well. qui = subject of "explique"
- Le stage que je cherche est à Paris. The internship (that) I am looking for is in Paris. que = direct object of "cherche"
- C'est l'entreprise où travaille mon frère. That's the company where my brother works. où = place
Unlike English, French cannot drop que: "the internship I am looking for" must become le stage que je cherche, with que stated explicitly. This chapter asks you to use one relative clause at a time in your own writing and speaking; you do not need to combine qui, que, and où in the same sentence.
Model Dialogue: Un entretien avec la conseillère
Context: Léa meets with Madame Girard, a career counselor at her university, to talk about her studies and a possible summer internship.
Notice how leur refers clearly to the two companies (introduced as deux entreprises), how lui refers clearly to the one company named just before it (la première entreprise), how plus/aussi... que compares two explicitly named things, and how qui and où connect ideas without starting new sentences.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the lines below aloud, or read them aloud to yourself slowly.
- What are the two companies looking for?
- Where does the first internship take place, and what happens there every day?
- How does the first internship compare to the second in terms of difficulty and interest?
- What should students do if they want more information?
Speaking Practice
Pratique contrôlée — Controlled practice: compare two fictional classes
Using two fictional class names from the vocabulary above, compare them using plus... que, moins... que, or aussi... que.
Tâche communicative — Communicative task: fictional course or internship role-play
Work with a partner using fictional options. Follow these steps in order.
- Learner A chooses one fictional course, job, or internship and describes it using one relative clause (qui, que, or où).
- Learner B compares it with a second fictional option, using plus/moins/aussi... que.
- Learner A uses either lui or leur to say what they explain to one person or to several people.
- Learner A states a preference.
Banque de phrases — Phrase bank:
- C'est un cours qui est intéressant.
- C'est l'entreprise où je travaille.
- Ce stage est plus intéressant que l'autre.
- Je lui explique le travail.
- Je leur donne les informations.
- Je préfère le premier stage.
Pratique individuelle — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing one fictional course and one fictional job, comparing them with one comparative structure, and using one relative clause.
Reading Practice
Un message à une amie — A message to a friend
Salut Amina ! Je travaille dans une petite entreprise qui aide les étudiants. Le bureau où je travaille est calme. Sophie est ma collègue. Je lui pose des questions sur le travail. Ce stage est plus intéressant que mon cours de commerce. Le directeur parle aux employés chaque matin et leur explique le travail. À bientôt !
Tâche de lecture — Reading task:
- What kind of company does the writer work for?
- Who is Sophie, and what does the writer do with her?
- How does the internship compare to the writer's business class?
- What does the director do each morning?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order.
Tâche 1 — Compare two classes or jobs: Write three short sentences comparing two fictional classes, jobs, or internships, using at least two different comparative structures (plus... que, moins... que, aussi... que).
Tâche 2 — Supported message: Write a short message of four to six sentences to a friend about a fictional course, job, or internship. Include one greeting, one description, one comparison, one relative clause using qui, que, or où, one sentence using either lui or leur, and one closing. You do not need to use more than one relative pronoun.
- List your ideas. Decide which fictional classes, jobs, or internships you want to describe and compare.
- Choose your comparison. Decide what is more, less, or equally interesting, difficult, or big.
- Draft your message. Move from greeting, to description, to comparison, to a closing.
- Read your message aloud once. Listen for liaison in phrases like plus intéressant.
- Check your relative clause. Confirm that que is never dropped and that qui, que, or où is used correctly.
Liste de révision — Editing checklist:
- The message is four to six sentences long.
- The message includes exactly one relative clause (qui, que, or où).
- The message includes at least one comparative structure (plus/moins/aussi... que), correctly formed with que.
- lui or leur appears at least once, correctly placed before the verb, with a clear antecedent.
- Adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in comparisons.
- No passé composé, imperfect, or conditional si clause appears anywhere in the message.
- Accents, apostrophes, and punctuation are accurate throughout.
- No vocabulary or grammar from outside Chapters 1–14 has been used.
Culture and Communication
A stage is a common part of higher education in France and other Francophone settings. University career offices, sometimes called a bureau des stages, help students find internships that connect academic study to professional experience. Compensation requirements depend on duration and applicable regulations. In France, longer student internships may require minimum compensation. Exact rules, duration, academic requirements, and institutional practices vary by country, field, and institution.
Educational vocabulary can differ across Francophone regions. In Quebec, for instance, le cégep refers to a stage of post-secondary education between high school and university that does not exist in the same form in France. Workplace vocabulary can also vary: some expressions common in Belgium or Switzerland differ from those used in France or in Francophone Africa. Internship practices likewise differ across the Francophone world. This is a receptive cultural note; the core vocabulary in this chapter remains broadly usable across the Francophone world.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing je la téléphone to mean "I telephone her."
Correction: téléphoner takes an indirect object with à, so the correct pronoun is lui: je lui téléphone.
Error: Writing ce stage est plus intéressant l'autre, or le stage je cherche.
Correction: French requires que in both structures: ce stage est plus intéressant que l'autre, and le stage que je cherche. English does not normally drop "than" in a comparison, but it can drop "that" in a relative clause; French never drops que in either case.
Error: Writing j'ai un professeur que explique très bien, using que where the professor is the subject of the added clause.
Correction: Since the professor is the subject of "explique," use qui: j'ai un professeur qui explique très bien. Use que only when the noun is the direct object of the added clause.
Chapter Review
Partie A — Compréhension (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- What subject does Léa say she prefers, and why?
- What does the counselor say she will do for the two companies, and what does she say she will do for the first company specifically?
Partie B — Écriture (Writing)
1. Complete the sentence with the correct pronoun: Je ______ (à Sophie) téléphone tous les jours.
2. Complete the sentence with the correct relative pronoun: C'est l'entreprise ______ je cherche.
Partie C — Lecture (Reading)
1. Return to "Un message à une amie," and list every comparison and every relative clause the writer uses.
Partie D — Oral (Speaking)
1. With a partner, compare two fictional classes or jobs and use one relative clause with qui, que, or où.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 14 Practical Check — School and Work
Études et vie professionnelle : Comparing Two Fictional Options
Compare two fictional courses, jobs, or internships and explain which option you prefer. Chapter 15 remains the Unit III assessment; this task checks only Chapter 14 material.
Your response must include:
- one comparison using plus, moins, or aussi... que;
- one relative clause using qui, que, or où;
- one sentence with either lui or leur;
- one stated preference; and
- a supported message of four to six sentences, following the model in the Writing Workshop.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Vocabulary use | The learner correctly names at least one school subject, workplace, or job. |
| Indirect object pronoun | The learner uses lui or leur accurately, with a clear antecedent, placed correctly before the verb. |
| Comparison | The learner forms one comparison with plus/moins/aussi... que, including que. |
| Relative clause | The learner uses one relative clause with qui, que, or où correctly to connect ideas. |
| Task completeness | The message is four to six sentences, states a preference, and stays within Chapters 1–14. |
This task assesses only material introduced through Chapter 14 and continues to recycle Units I and II, along with Chapters 11 through 13. Chapter 15 remains the Unit III assessment.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Léa says she prefers history, because her history class is more interesting than her math class.
- The counselor says she will telephone the two companies this week; for the first company specifically, she says she will write to it today.
Chapter Review Part A
- Léa prefers history, because her history class is more interesting than her math class.
- She will telephone both companies this week; she will write to the first company today.
Chapter Review Part B
- lui
- que
Chapter Review Part C
Comparisons and relative clauses in "Un message à une amie":
- une entreprise qui aide les étudiants — relative clause with qui (subject).
- le bureau où je travaille — relative clause with où (place).
- ce stage est plus intéressant que mon cours de commerce — comparison with plus... que.
Chapter Review Part D
Answers will vary. A successful response names two fictional options, includes one relative clause (qui, que, or où), uses understandable school or work vocabulary, and compares the two options using plus, moins, or aussi... que.
Listening
- Both companies are looking for students.
- The first internship is at a small company where French is spoken every day.
- The first internship is less difficult than the second, but just as interesting.
- They should call the office or write a message.
Reading
- The writer works for a small company that helps students.
- Sophie is the writer's colleague; the writer asks her questions about the work.
- The internship is more interesting than the writer's business class.
- The director speaks to the employees each morning and explains the work to them.
Writing Workshop
Answers will vary. See the model message provided in the Writing Workshop section for a complete four-to-six-sentence example containing one comparison, one relative clause, and one lui/leur sentence.
Practical Performance Task
Answers will vary. Evaluate each response against the rubric above: one accurate comparison, one accurate relative clause, one accurate and clearly-anchored lui or leur, a stated preference, and a complete four-to-six-sentence message within Chapters 1–14.
Looking Ahead
Ce que vous savez déjà faire — What you can do now
You can talk about school subjects and jobs, use lui and leur to say to whom something is given or explained, compare people and things with plus/moins/aussi... que, and connect ideas with qui, que, and où. This completes the instructional chapters of Unit III: Dans la communauté.