mairie
/mɛ.ʁi/feminine
City hall in French is mairie, the building and office of a town's local government. In big cities you will also see hôtel de ville. If unsure, use mairie. Wiktionary also lists maison communale.
Meaning: building (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| mairie | /mɛ.ʁi/ /me.ʁi/ |
feminine |
| hôtel de ville | /o.tɛl də vil/ | masculine |
| maison communale | /mɛ.zɔ̃ kɔ.my.nal/ /me.zɔ̃ kɔ.my.nal/ |
feminine |
mairie is the most common word for city hall. It covers both the building and the local administration that works there. Hôtel de Ville de Paris is the name used for the city hall of Paris.
Which one should you use?
hôtel de ville is typically used for the grand official building of a large city, whereas mairie is used for both the building and the institution in towns of any size.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium, maison communale is used for city hall.
How does it change in a sentence?
mairie is feminine, so the city hall is la mairie. hôtel de ville is masculine and starts with a silent h, so the article becomes l'hôtel de ville. To say at city hall, use à la mairie.
How do you pronounce it?
mairie is pronounced /mɛ.ʁi/, in two syllables.
Did you know?
- In France, the mairie is the only place where a civil marriage is legally recognized, meaning couples must visit city hall before any religious ceremony.
- While 'city hall' implies a central administrative building, the word ville in hôtel de ville actually descends from the Latin word for a 'country house' or 'villa'.
- While an English speaker sees 'hotel' and thinks of a place to sleep, hôtel in this context refers to a grand residence or official seat.
Examples in context
- Ça doit être la mairie.That must be the city hall.la mairie is used here to point out the building.Tatoeba #10607 by sacredceltic, translation #67130 by CK
- J'ai un ami à la mairie.I have a friend at City Hall.à la mairie means at city hall, the place where the friend works.Tatoeba #2137652 by sacredceltic, translation #1970114 by CK
- Sa femme travaille à la mairie.His wife works at the city hall.travaille à la mairie says someone has a job at city hall.Tatoeba #4615443 by sacredceltic, translation #2818819 by CS
- Vous pouvez trouver l'Hôtel de Ville au centre-ville.You can find the City Hall in the city center.
- Je dois me rendre à la Mairie pour obtenir un permis.I need to go to City Hall to get a permit.
- J'ai vu une affiche devant la Mairie annonçant un événement.I saw a poster in front of City Hall announcing an event.
- L'Hôtel de Ville de Paris est situé au cœur de la ville.The City Hall of Paris is located in the heart of the city.
- Vous pouvez contacter la Maison Communale pour obtenir des informations sur le permis de construire.You can contact the City Hall to get information about building permits.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are walking in town looking for a specific building.
- LéaOù se trouve la mairie, Lucas ?Where is the city hall, Lucas?
- LucasElle est juste après ce parc.It is right after this park.
- LéaD'accord, la mairie est donc par là.Okay, so the city hall is that way.
- LucasOui, on y arrive bientôt.Yes, we will be there soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “city hall” translations and entries mairie, hôtel de ville, maison communale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, hôtel, mairie, maison, maison communale, ville, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
