de des décret

You’ll mostly encounter this in news reports or formal discussions about politics and work. However, you can use it playfully in daily life. If you want to sound like a mini-dictator at home, you might announce a décret regarding who does the dishes. In a professional setting, you use it to refer to specific regulations that govern your industry, like le décret sur le temps de travail (the decree on working hours).

Use it when discussing official rules, government changes, or administrative requirements. It’s perfect for when you’re complaining about new taxes or celebrating a new public holiday. If you're in a meeting and someone asks why a procedure changed, saying 'C'est passé par décret' (It was passed by decree) ends the argument because it implies the decision is final and from the top.

Don't use it for small, informal agreements between friends. If your friend promises to buy you a coffee, that's not a décret—that's just a promesse. Also, avoid using it for actual laws passed by parliament, which are called lois. Calling a loi a décret is a common mistake that might make a French person correct you with a polite but firm 'En fait, c'est une loi...'

France is famous (or infamous) for its love of bureaucracy and centralized power. This dates back to the days of kings and was reinforced by Napoleon. The current Fifth Republic gives the President and Prime Minister significant power to use décrets. For the French, a décret represents the 'État' (the State) intervening in daily life. It’s a source of both national pride in order and constant grumbling about 'l'administration'.

You will often see décret d'application, which is the specific order that tells people how to actually follow a new law. There’s also the décret-loi, an older term for when the government takes over legislative powers. In slang, you might hear people talk about 'décréter' something, meaning to decide something unilaterally, like 'Il a décrété que la fête était finie' (He decided/decreed the party was over).