Équateur
/e.kwa.tœʁ/masculine
The English phrase 'Ecuador' is translated into French as Équateur.
Équateur is the name of the country in South America.
Meaning: country in South America (name)
Which one should you use?
While the country is capitalized (l'Équateur), the geographical line is written in lowercase (l'équateur).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /e.kwa.tœʁ/.
Did you know?
- While most masculine countries in French use the preposition au for 'in', l'Équateur is an exception that uses en.
- In French typography, the capital É in Équateur must retain its accent, unlike some other languages that might drop accents on capital letters.
- The word Équateur is a learned borrowing from the Latin aequātōrem.
Examples in context
- Quito est la capitale de l'Équateur.Quito is the capital of Ecuador.Tatoeba #7561508 by tras, translation #2470569 by BoriQa
- La capitale de l'Équateur est Quito, située dans la province montagneuse de Pichincha.The capital of Ecuador is Quito, in the mountainous province of Pichincha.Tatoeba #3772310 by GB3, translation #703293 by papabear
- Quito, Équateur est situé un peu au sud de l'équateur.Quito, Ecuador, is a little south of the equator.Tatoeba #426023 by gall, translation #65335 by CM
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about their upcoming travel plans.
- LucasEst-ce que tu veux aller en Équateur ?Do you want to go to Ecuador?
- EmmaOui, j'aimerais beaucoup visiter l'Équateur.Yes, I would really like to visit Ecuador.
- LucasC'est un pays magnifique, n'est-ce pas ?It is a beautiful country, isn't it?
- EmmaAbsolument, Lucas. C'est une destination incroyable.Absolutely, Lucas. It is an incredible destination.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ecuador” translations and entries Équateur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries équateur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
