employé de bureau
/ɑ̃.plwa.je d(ə) by.ʁo/
The English phrase 'office clerk' is translated into French as employé de bureau.
The term refers to a person employed to perform general administrative and clerical tasks in an office.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase employé de bureau is composed of employé (employee), de (of) and bureau (office).
Which one should you use?
While employé de bureau is a standard term, secrétaire is often used if the role is specifically focused on secretarial or clerical duties like typing and scheduling.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canadian French, the term commis au bureau can be used to refer to an office clerk.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female office clerk, change the masculine employé to the feminine employée to form employée de bureau.
Did you know?
- The word bureau originally referred to a coarse woolen cloth rather than a physical room or a desk. It is thought that the term evolved from the fabric used to cover the very furniture where clerical work was performed.
- The word bureau is a loanword in English but it refers to a chest of drawers for clothes whereas in French it refers to a desk or an office.
- In France the term bureau is used not only for the physical office but also for a committee or an executive board of an organization.
Examples in context
- Jean est un commis de bureau compétent et organisé.Jean is a competent and organized office clerk.
- Mon frère est employé de bureau dans une grande entreprise.My brother is an office clerk in a large company.
- Julie travaille comme commis administratif dans un cabinet d'avocats.Julie works as an office clerk in a law firm.
- Il travaille comme employé de bureau.He works as an office clerk.
- Mon frère est un employé de bureau très organisé.My brother is a very organized office clerk.
- Nous cherchons un nouvel employé de bureau.We are looking for a new office clerk.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry employé de bureau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bureau, de, employé, CC BY-SA 4.0.
