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How to Say ‘Why do you want this job?’ in French

Pourquoi voulez-vous ce poste ?

poor-kwah voo-LAY voo suh pohst

[poor-kwah voo-LAY voo suh pohst]

🇫🇷 In France: Recruiters expect an answer about the company and the role itself. Mentioning salary first lands badly.

Phrase Breakdown

Pourquoi voulez-vous

poor-kwah voo-LAY voo

Why do you want

An inverted formal question. Say 'poor-kwah voo-lay voo'.

Example

Pourquoi voulez-vous apprendre le français ?

Why do you want to learn French?

Words in this phrase

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?

ce poste ?

suh pohst

this position?

'Poste' (masculine) here means job or position. Say 'suh post'.

Example

Ce poste est intéressant.

This position is interesting.

Words in this phrase

[suh]

this

Demonstrative adjective used before a masculine noun; with 'soir' it means 'tonight'.

Example

On sort ce week-end ?

Shall we go out this weekend?

poste

[pohst]

position / job

A professional role or job opening in a company.

Example

Un nouveau poste avec plus d'autonomie m'attire beaucoup.

A new position with more autonomy appeals to me a lot.

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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