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How to Say ‘So, why do you want to work for us?’ in French

Alors, pourquoi voulez-vous travailler chez nous ?

ah-lohr poor-kwah voo-LAY voo trah-vah-YAY shay noo

[ah-lohr poor-kwah voo-LAY voo trah-vah-YAY shay noo]

🇫🇷 In France: This is the classic French interview question, and you can expect to hear it early on. Recruiters want a reason tied to their company, not just "I need a job".

Phrase Breakdown

Alors, pourquoi voulez-vous

ah-lohr poor-kwah voo-LAY voo

So, why do you want

'Alors' means 'so/well' and introduces the question. The 's' is silent: 'a-lor'.

Example

Alors, pourquoi voulez-vous changer ?

So, why do you want to change?

Words in this phrase

Alors

[ah-lohr]

Conjunction used to show consequence or result.

Example

Alors, qu'est-ce qu'on fait?

So, what do we do?

pourquoi

[poor-kwah]

Why

Used to ask for a reason or explanation.

Example

Pourquoi es-tu triste?

Why are you sad?

voulez

[voo-LAY]

want

Form of the verb 'vouloir' (to want) used with 'vous'.

Example

Vous voulez un café ?

Do you want a coffee?

-vous

[voo]

you

Formal or plural 'you', attached by a hyphen after the verb in an inverted question.

Example

Avez-vous une table libre ?

Do you have a free table?

travailler chez nous ?

trah-vah-YAY shay noo

to work with us / at our company?

'Chez nous' means 'at our place/company'. Your voice rises at the end of the question.

Example

Venez travailler chez nous !

Come work with us!

Words in this phrase

travailler

[trah-vah-YAY]

to work

Infinitive verb meaning to work or do a task.

Example

Elle aime travailler dans le jardin.

She likes working in the garden.

chez

[shay]

at (a company) / with

Used before a company or person's name to mean working at or for them.

Example

Je travaille chez Renault.

I work at Renault.

nous

[noo]

The stressed pronoun meaning 'us' or 'we' after a preposition like 'avec.'

Example

Les nouvelles recrues déjeunent souvent avec nous.

New hires often have lunch with us.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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