French · Home, Clothes & Daily Life

"Office" in French: bureau

le bureau

Say it: luh bu-ROHmasculine · le bureaunoun/by.ʁo/

Office in French is often le bureau, masculine. Je suis au bureau means I'm at the office. Bureau also means desk. Un open space is open-plan office slang.

Schedule

Je reste au bureau jusqu'à dix-huit heures.
I'm staying at the office until six.
Practice French out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce bureau

Say it

luh bu-ROH

/by.ʁo/

Bureau: bu-ROH. Final eau like oh.

"Office" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le bureauthe office / the desk

Default.

au bureauat the office

Location.

bureau de postepost office

Public office.

travailler au bureauto work at the office

Routine.

How to use bureau in real life

  1. 1Schedule

    Je reste au bureau jusqu'à dix-huit heures.

    I'm staying at the office until six.

    Au bureau.

  2. 2Furniture

    Mon bureau est trop petit pour deux écrans.

    My desk is too small for two screens.

    Bureau = desk.

  3. 3Meeting

    La réunion est dans le bureau du fond.

    The meeting is in the office at the back.

    Le bureau.

Mistakes English speakers make with bureau

Incorrect: La bureau.

Correct: Le bureau.

Bureau is masculine.

Incorrect: Je vais à l'office.

Correct: Je vais au bureau.

Office in English maps to bureau for workplace; office in French can mean pantry.

Good to know

French office can mean a pantry/service room in restaurants — for workplace say bureau. Télétravail is remote work. Carte de visite still shows up in some bureaux.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Monday morning plans

  1. ChatPal

    Tu es au bureau demain ?

    Are you at the office tomorrow?

  2. You

    Oui, toute la journée au bureau.

    Yes, all day at the office.

  3. ChatPal

    On déjeune près du bureau alors ?

    Shall we have lunch near the office then?

  4. You

    Avec plaisir.

    With pleasure.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Office" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Office" in French

How do you say office in French?

Le bureau.

How do you say at the office?

Au bureau.

Does bureau mean desk too?

Yes — context decides.

How do you pronounce bureau?

bu-ROH.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in French. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.