How to Say "City Block" in French

pâté de maisons

masculine

The English phrase 'city block' can be translated into French using pâté de maisons, îlot urbain or îlot.

Meaning: part of town enclosed by streets (noun)

Ways to say it

These terms all refer to a part of a town that is enclosed by streets.

îlot is a more technical or urban planning term used to describe a block or an island of buildings.

In Quebec, Canada, the word carré is used to refer to a city block.

When expressing the plural of pâté de maisons, the plural form is pâtés de maisons. Note that only the word pâté takes an s.

While the term pâté de maisons is the standard way to describe a block, the word pâté in this context refers to a mass or a solid piece of something, rather than the famous meat spread.
The term îlot is a diminutive of île, meaning 'island', which creates a visual metaphor of buildings being a tiny island surrounded by a 'sea' of streets.
While pâté de maisons describes a block of buildings, an architect might use the term îlot de chaleur to describe a 'heat island', which is an area where urban structures trap much higher temperatures than the countryside.

Le magasin se trouve à deux carrés d'ici
The store is two city blocks away from here
C'est à trois pâtés de maisons vers l'est
It's three blocks east
Il habite dans le même pâté de maisons que moi.
He lives in the same city block as me.
Il y a un parc dans ce pâté de maisons.
There is a park in this city block.

Hugo and Emma are looking for a specific address in the city.

Hugo

Je pense que c'est dans le pâté de maisons suivant.
I think it is in the next city block.
Emma

Tu es sûr, Hugo ? Je ne vois pas l'adresse.
Are you sure, Hugo? I don't see the address.
Hugo

Oui, tournons après ce pâté de maisons.
Yes, let's turn after this city block.
Emma

D'accord, on y arrive presque.
Okay, we are almost there.

Sources

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