Hate Math? Don't worry. We're not doing any kind of computing here.
Instead we'll learn some vocabulary related to the office where all the computing is done.
No need to get your hands dirty with complicated numbers. You don't even need to work in an office to get the hang of things. Just learn the phrases and words below which you may need to carry around if you're heading to France.
Don't have time to go through the list yet?
You can download this vocabulary list in PDF format as part of the French language learning package. Click below to access the PDF.
| Le personnel administratif | Clerical staff |
| Le personnel de bureau | Office staff |
| Le chef de bureau | Office manager |
| L’employé de bureau (m/f) | Office worker |
| Le secrétariat | Secretariat |
| Le/la secrétaire | Secretary |
| Le/la secrétaire bilingue | Bilingual secretary |
| Le/la stagiaire | Trainee |
| Le programmeur/la programmeuse | Programmer |
| L’informaticien/l’informaticienne | Computer expert |
| Le garde | Security guard |
| Le bureau | Office, desk |
| L’immeuble de bureaux (m) | Office block |
| La salle d’attente | Waiting room |
| La salle de conseil | Board room |
| La salle de conférence | Conference room |
| La salle d’exposition | Exhibition hall |
| Le bureau paysager | Open plan office |
| Le siège principal | Head office |
| Le siège social | Head office |
| Les locaux (m) | Premises |
| La climatisation | Air-conditioning |
| La cantine | Canteen |
| Les heures de bureau (f) | Office hours |
| Le matériel du bureau | Office equipment |
| Les fournitures de bureau (f) | Office supplies |
| Les articles de bureau (m) | Office supplies |
| Le mobilier de bureau | Office furniture |
| La chaise tournante | Swivel chair |
| La corbeille à papier | Waste-paper basket |
| Le bac à correspondance | Correspondence tray |
| La panneau d’affichage | Notice board |
| Le stylo | Pen |
| Le crayon | pencil |
| Le taille-crayon | Pencil sharpener |
| Le stylo-feutre | Felt-tip pen |
| Le stylo à cartouche | Cartridge pen |
| Le stylo à réservoir | Fountain pen |
| Le marqueur | Marker pen |
| Le surligneur | Highlighter |
| La gomme | Eraser |
| La colle | Glue |
| Le scotch® | Scotch tape ® |
| Les ciseaux (m) | Scissors |
| Le liquide correcteur | Correcting fluid |
| La papeterie | Stationery |
| L’encre (f) | Toner |
| La cartouche | Cartridge |
| Le carbone | Carbon copy |
| Le ruban | Ribbon |
| Faire un double de | To duplicate |
| polycopier | To duplicate |
| En double exemplaire | In two copies |
| Envoyer par fax | To fax |
| L’agrandissement (m) | Enlargement |
| L’agenda de bureau (m) | Desk diary |
| La lampe de bureau | Desk lamp |
| Le bloc-notes | Desk pad |
| Le livre de comptes | Accounts book |
| Le livre de caisse | Cash book |
| Le grand livre | Ledger |
| La carnet de commandes | Order book |
| Le bulletin de commande | Order form, order slip |
| L’interphone (m) | Intercom |
| La calculatrice | Calculator |
| Le photocopieur | Photocopier |
| Le télécopieur | Fax machine |
| La télécopie | Fax |
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| L’informatique (f) | Computing |
| Le réseau | Network |
| La station de travail | Work-station |
| La programmation | Programming |
| L’ordinateur de bureau (m) | Desk-top computer |
| L’ordinateur portable (m) | Lap-top computer |
| Le moniteur couleur | Colour monitor |
| La machine de traitement de texte | Word-processor |
| L’imprimante (f) | Printer |
| L’imprimante laser (f) | Laser printer |
| L’imprimante couleur (f) | Colour printer |
| la machine a écrire a mémoire | Memory typewriter |
| La programmation | Programming |
| La mémoire d’ordinateur | Computer memory |
| Le courrier électronique / le courriel | |
| Tomber en panne | To crash |
| Le langage machine | Computer language |
| Lisible par ordinateur | Machine-readable |
| La copie papier | Hard copy |
| La fenêtre | Window |
| Le caractère | Character |
| Le caractère majuscule | Capital letter |
| Le caractère minuscule | Lower-case letter |
| En caractères gras | In bold |
| En caractères italiques | In italics |
| Le point | Full stop |
| L’apostrophe (f) | Apostrophe |
| La virgule | Comma, decimal point |
| Le point d’interrogation | Question mark |
| Le tiret | Dash |
| Le pointillé | Dotted line |
| Le soulignement | Underlining |
| Les guillemets (m) | Quotes |
| La parenthèse | Bracket |
| L’accolade (f) | Curly bracket |
| La faute de frappe | Keyboard error |
| Le CD-ROM | CD-ROM |
| Interactif | Interactive |
| Le clavier | Keyboard |
| L'écran | Monitor |
| Disque dur externe | External hard disk |
| Le disque Flash | Flash Disk |
| La souris | Mouse |
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Let me know in the comment section if there are some vocabulary topics that you would like to review.
P.S. You would be doing me a HUGE FAVOR by sharing it via Twitter or Facebook.
Frederic,
Existe -t-il un mot pour “powerpoint” ou “smartboard” en français ? Les deux sont utilisés avec les présentations.
Tahoma
Pour powerpoint, c’est le nom d’un logiciel (software) donc on utilise powerpoint. Mais beaucoup de gens parlent d’une présentation (je fais une présentation), on peut aussi dire “une prez”.
Pour smartboard on utilise le mot tableau blanc interactif.
SVP, c’est quoi la différence entre un stage et une formation? Dans le livre de texte, les deux sont traduits comme un training. J’ai une idée, mais j’aimerais être sûre pour bien expliquer à mes étudiants. Merci.
Stage = internship. Formation = training.
Your article is very helpful. Can you help us more with the french word for flash disc, keyboard, external hard disk and other jargon for computer and internet.
Not right now, probably later. I will create an Ebook with more vocab in it.
Bonjour! I love your French vocabulary lists. Very helpful indeed. I was wondering if you were planning on doing a list for social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)? I teach middle school (grade 7, 12-year-olds), and I’d love to know the vocabulary for social media. I have a feeling a lot of it might be anglicisms or saying the English term with a French accent, but I’m sure there must be popular French ways of saying certain terms.
Your wish is my command 🙂 I will try to do it this week. But you are right we use a lot of anglicisms.
Merci beaucoup, c’est parfait! I think I will be beginning a unit on using social media in the new school year and your list of vocabulary will be a huge help.
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