bureau
/by.ʁo/masculine
The English phrase 'bureau' translates to French as bureau.
In French, bureau can refer to a unit of governance or an office. It can also refer to the piece of furniture used for writing, such as a desk.
Meaning: unit of governance, office (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /by.ʁo/.
Did you know?
- The word bureau originally described a piece of furniture covered in coarse wool cloth. Over time, the name of the cloth itself became the name for the desk it covered, and eventually the room where the desk sits.
- In English, a 'bureau' is often a chest of drawers, but in French, this piece of furniture is called an armoire or a commode. Calling a chest of drawers a bureau in France would likely confuse a native speaker.
- While English speakers use 'bureau' mostly for government agencies or desks, the French use it more broadly for any small, specialized administrative department, such as a bureau de tabac which is a newsagent and tobacco shop.
Examples in context
- Le directeur se trouve dans son bureau.The director is in his office.
- Je dois me rendre au bureau pour signer les documents.I have to go to the office to sign the documents.
- Le bureau des passeports est fermé le lundi.The passport office is closed on Mondays.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are discussing his work schedule.
- ManonEst-ce que tu travailles au bureau demain ?Are you working at the office tomorrow?
- GabrielNon, je travaille de la maison.No, I am working from home.
- ManonTon bureau est très loin d'ici ?Is your office very far from here?
- GabrielPas du tout, c'est juste à côté.Not at all, it is just next door.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bureau” translations and entries bureau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bureau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
