Illinois
/i.li.nwa/masculine
Illinois is the French name for the US state of Illinois.
Related terms include Illinois or Illinoise to refer to a member of the Illinois Confederacy, and the adjective illinois to describe things relating to that confederacy.
Meaning: a state of the United States of America (name)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express possession or origin, such as saying 'of Illinois', you should use de l'Illinois because the name begins with a vowel.
How do you pronounce it?
/i.li.nwa/. The word has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- French explorers in the 17th century adopted the term Illinois to describe a vast group of diverse tribes, effectively renaming a whole region through a single tribal label.
- In French historical texts, you might encounter 'Illinoise' with an 'e' at the end to specifically refer to the female members of the original Illinois Confederacy.
- While English speakers often emphasize the first syllable, French speakers tend to give a more even stress across the three syllables of Illinois.
Examples in context
- Ronald Reagan est né en 1911 en Illinois, dans la petite ville de Tampico.Ronald Reagan was born in 1911, in the little town of Tampico, Illinois.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of Illinois in a biographical context.Tatoeba #936170 by sysko, translation #804277 by Source_VOA
- Je vais passer une semaine en Illinois.I am going to spend a week in Illinois.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are discussing their upcoming travel plans.
- LéaOù vas-tu pour tes vacances, Hugo ?Where are you going for your vacation, Hugo?
- HugoJe vais rendre visite à ma famille en Illinois.I am going to visit my family in Illinois.
- LéaC'est super ! Tu restes combien de temps ?That's great! How long are you staying?
- HugoJe reste deux semaines en Illinois.I am staying in Illinois for two weeks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “illinois” translations and entries Illinois, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
