église
/e.ɡliz/feminine
The English word "church" translates to église in French.
église is a feminine noun used to refer to a house of worship, specifically the physical building or the religious institution itself. In Protestantism, the term Le Temple is used to refer to a church or place of worship.
Meaning: house of worship (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use église to refer to the physical building or the religious institution, whereas messe refers specifically to the religious service (Mass).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because église starts with a vowel, the definite article la becomes l’ in the phrase l'église to mean "the church".
How do you pronounce it?
/e.ɡliz/
Did you know?
- The French word for the central aisle of an église is la nef, which literally means 'the ship'. This reflects an ancient belief that the church serves as a vessel carrying the faithful through the storms of life.
- The word église actually comes from the Greek word ἐκκλησία, which originally meant a 'gathering' or an assembly of citizens, rather than a religious building.
- While English uses 'church' to describe the people attending a service, French speakers often use the word paroisse to refer to the local religious community and its members.
Examples in context
- Tom va à l'église.Tom goes to church.This sentence is useful for showing how to use église with the verb 'va'.Tatoeba #6536818 by GB3, translation #6532349 by CK
- Je vais à l'église.I'm going to church.This sentence is useful for expressing movement toward église.Tatoeba #6463233 by Aiji, translation #2548251 by CK
- Je chante à l'église.I sing at church.This sentence is useful for describing an action occurring at église.Tatoeba #6396098 by Aiji, translation #5858930 by CK
- J'ai visité une magnifique église aujourd'hui.I visited a magnificent church today.
- La messe aura lieu dans l'église du village.The Mass will take place in the village church.
- 245 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are walking through a small French village.
- LucasRegarde cette belle église.Look at this beautiful church.
- LéaOui, l'église est très ancienne.Yes, the church is very old.
- LucasEst-ce qu'elle est ouverte ?Is it open?
- LéaJe pense que oui.I think so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “church” translations and entries église, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries église, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
