French Word of the Day: Bosser
Whether you have a job, attend class, or both, there’s a good chance that you this French word could accurately describe how you spend your time.
Why do I need to know bosser?
Because this French phrase is rarely taught in schools, but it’s frequently used, probably because just about everybody has to do it - including you.
What does it mean?
Bosser - roughly pronounced boh-say- means ‘to work’. Originally, the term bosser gave off a negative connotation, and could be translated as ‘to slog/slave away’, but nowadays, it’s often used to simply say ‘to work’.
The use of the verb bosser to communicate the idea of ‘to work hard’ goes back to the late 19th century. Oddly enough, it does not appear to be directly related to the English term for supervisor: boss.
Prior to the 19th century, bosser generally meant ‘to present a bosse’, or ‘bump/hump’, and the two meanings are probably linked in French, as the idea being that excessive hard work could cause physical deformation, like a hunchback, or bossu.
While it previously carried a negative context, these days it depends on the context and the tone of the speaker. If you were to use the term to describe taking on a tremendous or arduous workload that you were not anticipating, then it would likely come off in a negative manner.
The use of bosser is not limited to physical labour, and it’s common to hear students say it, particularly using the construction bosser un examen, meaning ‘to cram for a test’.
You might also hear people say 'bosser sur quelque chose' (‘work on something’).
By extension, you can probably guess that un bosseur/une bosseuse is someone who works hard. As such, you might say: Ma fille est une bosseuse, elle va réussir dans la vie (‘My daughter is a hard worker, she’s going to succeed in life’).
While common, bosser is quite informal, so it’s not the type of word you’d use with your, you know, boss. If you are looking for a more formal alternative, try sticking to the word travailler.
Depending on context, you could also use the term trimer if you want emphasise the gruelling nature of the work.
Another colloquial alternative is taffer, which comes from the noun taf (‘work’/’job’), derived from the acronym travaille à faire (‘work to do’).
Use it like this
Elle bosse dans un café - She works in a café
Je bosse toute la journée et tu ne fais rien - I break my back working all day and you do nothing
J’ai bossé sur ce dossier toute la nuit - I worked on that paper all night.
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Why do I need to know bosser?
Because this French phrase is rarely taught in schools, but it’s frequently used, probably because just about everybody has to do it - including you.
What does it mean?
Bosser - roughly pronounced boh-say- means ‘to work’. Originally, the term bosser gave off a negative connotation, and could be translated as ‘to slog/slave away’, but nowadays, it’s often used to simply say ‘to work’.
The use of the verb bosser to communicate the idea of ‘to work hard’ goes back to the late 19th century. Oddly enough, it does not appear to be directly related to the English term for supervisor: boss.
Prior to the 19th century, bosser generally meant ‘to present a bosse’, or ‘bump/hump’, and the two meanings are probably linked in French, as the idea being that excessive hard work could cause physical deformation, like a hunchback, or bossu.
While it previously carried a negative context, these days it depends on the context and the tone of the speaker. If you were to use the term to describe taking on a tremendous or arduous workload that you were not anticipating, then it would likely come off in a negative manner.
The use of bosser is not limited to physical labour, and it’s common to hear students say it, particularly using the construction bosser un examen, meaning ‘to cram for a test’.
You might also hear people say 'bosser sur quelque chose' (‘work on something’).
By extension, you can probably guess that un bosseur/une bosseuse is someone who works hard. As such, you might say: Ma fille est une bosseuse, elle va réussir dans la vie (‘My daughter is a hard worker, she’s going to succeed in life’).
While common, bosser is quite informal, so it’s not the type of word you’d use with your, you know, boss. If you are looking for a more formal alternative, try sticking to the word travailler.
Depending on context, you could also use the term trimer if you want emphasise the gruelling nature of the work.
Another colloquial alternative is taffer, which comes from the noun taf (‘work’/’job’), derived from the acronym travaille à faire (‘work to do’).
Use it like this
Elle bosse dans un café - She works in a café
Je bosse toute la journée et tu ne fais rien - I break my back working all day and you do nothing
J’ai bossé sur ce dossier toute la nuit - I worked on that paper all night.
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