French Phrase
Ma mère était prof.
Meaning
The sentence means “My mother was a teacher.” It uses the imperfect tense to indicate a past, ongoing occupation, and the colloquial noun ‘prof’ instead of the full ‘professeur’.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are describing a parent’s former profession, especially in casual conversation or storytelling about the past.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Mamèreétaitprof
Possessive adjective (Ma)
Ma is the feminine singular form of the possessive adjective meaning 'my', used before a feminine noun like mère.
Imparfait of être (était)
The verb être in the imperfect (était) describes a past state or ongoing situation, not a completed action.
Colloquial noun (prof)
Prof is the informal abbreviation of professeur; it is acceptable in spoken French and informal writing.
🗨In Conversation
Qu'est-ce que faisait ta mère ?
What did your mother do?
Ma mère était prof.
My mother was a teacher.
✕Common Mistakes
Ma mère a été prof.
‘a été’ is the passé composé, which would imply a completed action rather than a lasting past state.
Ma mère était un prof.
Do not use an article before a profession when it follows ‘être’ in French.
Ma mère était professeur.
While correct, using the full form in a casual spoken context sounds overly formal; ‘prof’ is the natural choice here.
↔Alternatives
Ma mère était enseignante.
My mother was a teacher.
Ma mère était professeur.
My mother was a professor/teacher.
Ma mère travaillait comme prof.
My mother worked as a teacher.
Cultural Tip
In France, ‘prof’ is a familiar, almost slangy way to refer to a teacher and is common among students and younger speakers. In formal contexts (e.g., a job interview or a written résumé) you would use ‘professeur’ or ‘enseignante’. Also, the imperfect (était) emphasizes that teaching was her regular occupation, not a one‑off event.