capitale
/ka.pi.tal/
The French word for the political capital of a state or nation is capitale.
The word capitale is used to describe the chief city that serves as the seat of a general government.
Meaning: chief (in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation) (adj)
Which one should you use?
In French, capitale refers specifically to a city. If you want to refer to capital in the sense of money or assets, you would use the word capital (without the 'e').
How does it change in a sentence?
capitale is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ka.pi.tal/ and consists of three syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use capitale to refer to uppercase letters. In French, uppercase letters are called majuscules.
Did you know?
- In French, the word capitale can also be an adjective meaning 'essential' or 'of utmost importance', such as une question capitale.
- In France, the phrase la Capitale is often used as a proper noun to refer specifically to Paris, even when the speaker is already in the city.
- The word majuscule for uppercase letters comes from the Latin majusculus, meaning 'larger', whereas 'capital' in English comes from 'caput', meaning 'head'.
Examples in context
- J'habite dans la capitale.I live in the capital.This sentence is useful for stating where you live using capitale.Tatoeba #9287774 by felix63, translation #9419751 by abracadebby
- Ils visitèrent la capitale.They visited the capital.This sentence is useful for describing a visit to the capitale.Tatoeba #10282534 by Micsmithel, translation #5942743 by nicholas_martin
- Chaque pays a une capitale.Every country has a capital city.This sentence is useful for noting that every country has a capitale.Tatoeba #12330420 by lbdx, translation #5516971 by Hybrid
- Paris est la capitale de la France.Paris is the capital of France.
- La capitale belge est Bruxelles.The capital of Belgium is Brussels.
- Nantes est le chef-lieu de la Loire-Atlantique.Nantes is the administrative capital of Loire-Atlantique.
- 258 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are discussing a trip to France.
- ChloéEst-ce que Paris est la capitale ?Is Paris the capital?
- HugoOui, c'est la capitale de la France.Yes, it is the capital of France.
- ChloéJe veux visiter la capitale cet été.I want to visit the capital this summer.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée pour toi, Chloé.That is an excellent idea for you, Chloé.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry capitale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
