administrative office / secretariat
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administrative office
The department or office in a company, school, or public authority that is responsible for administrative and organizational tasks.
Bitte geben Sie die Unterlagen im Sekretariat ab.
Please hand in the documents at the administrative office.
The word 'Sekretariat' (administrative office/secretariat) belongs to the word family of 'Sekretär' (male secretary) and 'Sekretärin' (female secretary). The ending '-at' here, similar to 'Konsulat' (consulate), refers to the place or institution connected with the activity.
Die zuständige Sekretärin arbeitet im Sekretariat im zweiten Stock.
The secretary in charge works in the administrative office on the second floor.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the corresponding case. When you describe movement to that place, use the accusative ('ins Sekretariat gehen' — to go to the administrative office). When you describe the place where someone or something is located, use the dative ('im Sekretariat sein' — to be in the administrative office).
Ich muss kurz ins Sekretariat, um meine Krankmeldung abzugeben.
I need to go to the administrative office briefly to hand in my sick note.
You can tell from the verb whether the office (place) or the employees (people) are meant. Verbs that describe a human action ('macht Pause' — is taking a break, 'ist krank' — is sick) refer to the people. Verbs that describe a place ('befindet sich' — is located, 'ist geschlossen' — is closed) refer to the office.
Das Sekretariat macht von 12:30 bis 13:30 Uhr Mittagspause.
The administrative office takes a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
In connection with the office as a place, verbs such as 'im Sekretariat anrufen' (to call the administrative office), 'sich im Sekretariat melden' (to report to the administrative office), or 'etwas im Sekretariat nachfragen' (to ask about something at the administrative office) are often used.
Wenn du Fragen zum Stundenplan hast, kannst du im Sekretariat nachfragen.
If you have questions about the timetable, you can ask at the administrative office.
office / bureau
'das Büro' and 'das Sekretariat' can both mean a place where administrative work is done. 'Büro' is more general: it can be a workspace, several rooms, or even an organization. 'Sekretariat' is more specific and refers to an office or department that handles appointments, letters, phone calls, and other organizational tasks, for example in a school, company, or public authority. Learners may confuse the words because a 'Sekretariat' is often also a 'Büro'. But not every 'Büro' is a 'Sekretariat'.
Für die Anmeldung zum Kurs musst du zuerst im Sekretariat anrufen.
To register for the course, you first have to call the administrative office.
Am Morgen bringt meine Nachbarin die Unterlagen ins Büro.
In the morning, my neighbor takes the documents to the office.