In today’s lesson we’ll look at the slang and informal verb bosser, which means “to work”. The verb bosser is more or less synonymous with travailler (the more commonly verb for “to work”), and is used very frequently in conversational French.
bosser
to work (slang)
Bosser Meaning & Translation
Bosser conjugation
Bosser is a regular ER verb. This means that its endings are the same as all other regular ER verbs when conjugated in the present tense.
Je bosse I work
Tu bosses You work (singular, informal)
Il, elle, on bosse He, she one works
Nous bossons We work
Vous bossez You work (plural, formal)
Ils, elles bossent They work
Example sentences
As mentioned, bosser is a syononym for travailler (to work). It has nothing to do with the English word “boss”. While bosser an informal verb, it would not be considered to be vulgar or very impolite. Here are some example sentences.
Je bosse tout le temps et je suis fatigué(e) !
I’m working all the time and I’m tired!
Marie bosse trop en ce moment et elle souhaite partir en vacances.
Marie is currently working too much and she wants to go on vacation.
In spoken French, bosser is also commonly used as a syononym for étuder (to study) in the context of preparing for an exam or school assignment.
Martin n’a pas bien bossé avant son examen de maths et il l’a raté.
Martin didn’t study well before his math exam and he failed it.
The adjective bosseur/bosseuse means “hardworking”. For example:
Jacques est un homme très bosseur et il gagne bien sa vie.
Jacques is a very hardworking man and makes a good living.
Conclusion
Et voilà ! Now you know how to use bosser in spoken French. Now check out our lessons covering the verbs marcher (to walk, to work/function) and rester (to stay).
