Learn Hardcore French: Je travaille au bureau, tandis que Marie reste à la maison. - I work at the office, whereas Marie stays at home.

French generally uses the simple present for both ongoing and habitual actions. Je travaille can mean either “I work” or “I am working,” depending on context. If you want to emphasize that the action is in progress right now, you can add être en train de: Je suis en train de travailler.

What does au mean in au bureau, and when do I use au / à la / à l’ / aux?

Au is the contraction of à + le. After à, you keep the article of the following noun:

au = à + le (masculine singular): au parc, au bureau
à la (feminine singular): à la banque, à la maison
à l’ (before vowel or mute h): à l’école, à l’hôtel
aux = à + les (plural): aux toilettes, aux États-Unis

Why can’t I say à bureau without an article?

In French, common nouns almost always need a determiner (article/possessive/etc.), even after prepositions. So you say au bureau, à la maison, à l’école, aux cours—not bare à bureau.

What’s the difference between au bureau and dans le bureau?

au bureau = at the office (workplace in general; where you work)
dans le bureau = inside the office room (a physical room or office space) Examples:
Je suis au bureau = I’m at work (at the office).
Je suis dans le bureau = I’m in the office (room), not, say, in the hallway.

Can bureau also mean “desk”?

Yes. Un bureau can mean either an office (place of work) or a desk (piece of furniture). To say you’re at your desk, you’d typically say Je suis à mon bureau. Je suis au bureau usually means you’re at your workplace (the office).

How is tandis que different from pendant que and alors que?

tandis que: while/whereas, often highlights contrast between two simultaneous facts.
pendant que: while, purely temporal (no built‑in contrast).
alors que: can mean whereas/while; often more conversational; can express opposition or simple simultaneity depending on context.

Rewrites:

Pure simultaneity: Je travaille au bureau, pendant que Marie reste à la maison.
Contrast (as in the original): Je travaille au bureau, tandis que / alors que Marie reste à la maison.

Can I put the tandis que clause first? Do I need a comma?

Yes, you can front it: Tandis que Marie reste à la maison, je travaille au bureau. When the subordinate clause comes first, you normally put a comma after it. In the original order, a comma before tandis que is common but not strictly required; it simply marks a pause.

Does rester mean “to rest”?

No. rester = to stay/remain. “To rest” is se reposer. So:

Marie reste à la maison = Marie stays at home.
Marie se repose à la maison = Marie is resting at home.

Is à la maison the same as chez elle or chez Marie? Which is more natural?

à la maison = at home (the home environment). It’s very common for your own home and also fine for others in general statements.
chez elle / chez Marie = at her place / at Marie’s place (explicitly at that person’s home). For a third person, both are acceptable; chez + person/pronoun is more specific to that person’s home. Example: Marie reste chez elle is often the most natural way to say she stays at her place.

Why is it à la maison with an accent on à? What’s the difference between a and à?

a (no accent) = third‑person singular of avoir (has).
à (with accent) = the preposition “to/at.” So à la maison = at home. Writing a la maison would mean “has the house,” which is wrong here.

Why la maison and not le maison?

Because maison is a feminine noun, so it takes la. Some common home/place nouns have fixed genders you just memorize: la maison, l’école (f.), le jardin (m.), etc.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the sentence?

Je travaille: the ending sounds like “tra-vai,” with the double‑L making a “y” glide.
au: sounds like “oh.”
bureau: “byu-ro” (the French u is a fronted, rounded vowel).
tandis: final s is silent here; think “tan-dee.”
reste à: you’ll often hear a smooth link: “res‑ta.”
maison: “meh-zon,” with the final -on nasalized (don’t pronounce a full “n”).

If I change the sentence to the past, which auxiliaries do I use?

rester takes être in the passé composé, with agreement: Marie est restée à la maison.
travailler takes avoir: J’ai travaillé au bureau.

Could I say Je suis au travail or Je suis au boulot instead of au bureau?

Je suis au travail = I’m at work (neutral, a bit less idiomatic than au bureau in some contexts, but correct).
Je suis au boulot = I’m at work (informal/familiar).
Je suis au bureau = I’m at the office (specifically an office setting).