trimer

to toil

verb tree-MEH Rare

Also means

to slave away

Usage Note

Trimer is a colloquial verb meaning to work very hard for little reward, implying drudgery: il trime toute la journée pour un salaire de misère. It is more vivid and informal than travailler dur. It is most often heard in everyday speech rather than formal writing.

Examples

"Elle trime depuis l'aube sans se plaindre."

Natural Translation

She has been toiling since dawn without complaining.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Silent Letters: The CaReFuL Rule

Final consonants in French are silent by default — except C, R, F, L. The CaReFuL rule, the silent -e, the plural-s trap, and liaison, explained simply.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Je t'aime vs Je t'adore: I Love You in French

Je t'aime is the real romantic I love you; je t'adore means warm fondness, not romance. Here's the person-vs-thing rule and the bien trap that flips it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

How to Pronounce the French R (Step by Step)

The French R is a back-of-the-throat sound, not a rolled R. Learn the exact tongue position and a step-by-step drill to build it from sounds you already make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read