🚫💪🛠️👉🪑

How to Say ‘I'm not going to do the work for you.’ in French

Je ne vais pas faire le travail à votre place.

zhuh nuh veh pah fehr Luh trah-VYE ah vot-ruh plahss

[zhuh nuh veh pah fehr Luh trah-VYE ah vot-ruh plahss]

💬 Usage Tip: Je vais plus a verb means "I'm going to". Put ne ... pas around vais to say you won't do it.

🇫🇷 In France: Said with a smile, this is teasing pushback, not rejection. Playful refusal is a common part of French flirting.

Phrase Breakdown

Je ne vais pas

zhuh nuh veh pah

I'm not going to

This is the negative near future. In speech it often shortens to 'jeu n'vè pa'.

Example

Je ne vais pas sortir.

I'm not going to go out.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[nuh]

(negation) not

Negation particle used with another negative word (ne… rien). In speech, it can be dropped, but it’s standard in writing.

Example

Ne me raconte rien sur l’anime, je veux garder la surprise.

Don’t tell me anything about the anime, I want to keep the surprise.

vais

[veh]

am going to

Present tense of 'go,' used to express future intention.

Example

Je vais préparer le dîner.

I am going to prepare dinner.

pas

[pah]

not (negation)

Second part of negation in “ne… pas.” Together: “Don’t worry.”

Example

Ne t’inquiète pas, je ne dis rien.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying anything.

faire le travail

fehr Luh trah-VYE

do the work

This is the infinitive after 'vais'. Say 'fèr leu tra-vaï'.

Example

Elle va faire le travail.

She's going to do the work.

Words in this phrase

faire

[fehr]

to do / to make

Infinitive of faire; often used with activities and sports.

Example

J'aime faire du roller fitness le soir.

I like doing fitness inline skating in the evening.

[Luh]

The (masculine singular)

Definite article used before masculine singular nouns.

Example

Le chat est noir.

The cat is black.

travail

[trah-VYE]

work

Refers to work, labor, or the workplace context.

Example

Le travail en équipe est essentiel dans ce poste.

Teamwork is essential in this position.

à votre place.

ah vot-ruh plahss

for you / instead of you.

This means 'in your stead'. Say 'a vo-treu plas'.

Example

Il a répondu à votre place.

He answered for you.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

at / in / to

A preposition often meaning at, in, or to depending on context.

Example

À l'appartement, l'eau chaude ne marche plus.

At the apartment, the hot water no longer works.

votre

[vot-ruh]

your

Belonging to you.

Example

Votre voiture est là.

Your car is there.

place

[plahss]

place (instead of)

In 'à votre place': in your stead, for you.

Example

Je parle à ta place.

I'm speaking for you.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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