Union européenne
/y.njɔ̃ ø.ʁɔ.pe.ɛn/feminine
The English phrase "European Union" is translated into French as Union européenne.
The term refers to the European supranational organisation.
Meaning: European supranational organisation (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun Union is feminine, so the adjective européenne must also be in its feminine form to agree with it. Additionally, because Union starts with a vowel sound, the definite article la elides to l’ when written as l'Union européenne.
How do you pronounce it?
/y.njɔ̃ ø.ʁɔ.pe.ɛn/
Did you know?
- When referring to the Union européenne, French speakers use the word siège for its headquarters, which literally translates to 'seat'. This implies a place where one sits to exercise authority.
- While the Union européenne is a political entity, French speakers frequently use l'Europe as a shorthand to refer to both the continent and the political union interchangeably.
- The word Union comes from the Latin ūnus, meaning 'one'. This makes it a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'unit'.
Examples in context
- C'est illégal dans l'Union Européenne.This is illegal in the European Union.This sentence is useful for stating that something is illegal within the Union européenne.Tatoeba #7647383 by tras, translation #7584300 by Hybrid
- L'Union Européenne a aboli la peine de mort.The European Union has abolished the death penalty.This sentence is useful for noting that the Union européenne has abolished the death penalty.Tatoeba #1110436 by sacredceltic, translation #2491820 by AlanF_US
- L'Albanie veut adhérer à l'Union européenne.Albania wants to join the European Union.This sentence is useful for expressing that Albania wants to join the Union européenne.Tatoeba #1889803 by Rovo, translation #1802676 by Amastan
- Le sommet européen vise à renforcer l'Union européenne .The European summit aims to strengthen the European Union.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are talking about politics at a café.
- ChloéQue penses-tu de l'Union européenne ?What do you think about the European Union?
- NathanJe pense qu'elle est très puissante.I think it is very powerful.
- ChloéL'Union européenne aide beaucoup les pays membres.The European Union helps member countries a lot.
- NathanC'est vrai, Chloé.That's true, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “european union” translations and entries Union européenne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries union, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
