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How to Say ‘I was an accountant at a bank, in London.’ in French

J'étais comptable dans une banque, à Londres.

zhay eh-teh kohn-TAH-bluh dahn ewn bahnk ah LOHN-druh

[zhay eh-teh kohn-TAH-bluh dahn ewn bahnk ah LOHN-druh]

Phrase Breakdown

J'étais comptable

zhay eh-teh kohn-TAH-bluh

I was an accountant

This is your past job, in the imperfect tense.

Example

J'étais comptable avant.

I was an accountant before.

Words in this phrase

[zhay]

Pronoun used by the speaker to refer to himself or herself.

Example

J'aime les bonbons.

I like candies.

étais

[eh-teh]

was

Past tense of 'to be'.

Example

Il était une fois...

Once upon a time...

comptable

[kohn-TAH-bluh]

accountant

A person who keeps and checks financial records.

Example

Le comptable vérifie les factures.

The accountant checks the invoices.

dans une banque,

dahn ewn bahnk

in a bank,

This is the workplace. Link 'dans une' as 'dan-zun', then pause at the comma.

Example

J'ai un compte dans une banque.

I have an account in a bank.

Words in this phrase

dans

[dahn]

Indicates inclusion within space or limits.

Example

Dans la maison, c'était calme.

In the house, it was quiet.

une

[ewn]

Indefinite article, feminine singular.

Example

Elle veut une pomme.

She wants an apple.

banque

[bahnk]

bank

Feminine noun for a financial institution.

Example

La banque est fermée le dimanche.

The bank is closed on Sunday.

à Londres.

ah LOHN-druh

in London.

Use 'à' before city names. 'Londres' sounds like 'londr', with a nasal 'on'.

Example

J'habite à Londres.

I live in London.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

Used before city names to mean 'in' or 'to'.

Example

J'habite à Lyon.

I live in Lyon.

Londres

[LOHN-druh]

London

The French name for the capital of the UK.

Example

J'habite à Londres.

I live in London.

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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