département

department

noun deh-par-tuh-MAHN Less Common

Origin: French 'département', from departir (to divide)

Usage Note

Département is the primary administrative division of France — there are 101 of them (including overseas). Each has a two-digit number used on postal codes and (historically) car plates. It differs from région (the larger grouping of several departments). The overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer) are full parts of France, not colonies.

Examples

"Je viens du département du Rhône."

Natural Translation

I come from the Rhône department.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Ordering Food in French: Restaurant Phrases That Work

Order food in French with confidence: greet first, say je voudrais not je veux, ask for a carafe d'eau, answer quelle cuisson, and request the bill yourself.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

How to Say "I Miss You" in French (Without Errors)

"I miss you" in French is Tu me manques, not Je te manque. Learn the subject-flip behind manquer so you never text the opposite of what you mean.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Café Culture: How to Order Like a Local

In a French café, un café means espresso, one drink rents the table for an hour, and you must ask for the bill. Order coffee like a local with these phrases.

June 4, 2026 7 min read