Bordeaux
/bɔʁ.do/masculine
Bordeaux is the French name for the city of Bordeaux.
Bordeaux refers to the city of Bordeaux.
Meaning: city (name)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: /bɔʁ.do/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the final 'x' as a hard sound, but in French it is silent.
Did you know?
- In the 18th century, Bordeaux was a major center for the slave trade, and the wealth from this trade helped fund the construction of many of the city's grandest limestone buildings.
- The name Bordeaux is used globally to describe a specific deep red color, but in French, the color is more commonly called lie-de-vin, which means 'wine lees'.
- The city of Bordeaux is often called la Belle Endormie or 'the Sleeping Beauty' because of its long period of stagnation before its recent urban revival.
Examples in context
- Ils vidèrent des bouteilles de vin de Bordeaux dans le caniveau devant les caméras de télévision, en criant des slogans contre la France qui refusait la guerre en Iraq.Before TV cameras, they emptied bottles of Bordeaux wine into the gutter – crying out slogans against the France that had rejected the war in Iraq.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the form Bordeaux in a sentence regarding wine.Tatoeba #453240 by sacredceltic, translation #453472 by FeuDRenais
- Je vais passer quelques jours à Bordeaux.I am going to spend a few days in Bordeaux.
- Bordeaux est une ville magnifique.Bordeaux is a magnificent city.
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are planning a trip together.
- EmmaOn part où pour nos vacances ?Where are we going for our vacation?
- LucasJe propose d'aller à Bordeaux.I suggest going to Bordeaux.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Lucas !That is an excellent idea, Lucas!
- LucasOn réserve les billets demain.We will book the tickets tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bordeaux” translations and entries Bordeaux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
