Indonésie
/ɛ̃.do.ne.zi/feminine
The English word "Indonesia" is Indonésie in French.
Indonésie is the name of the country.
Meaning: country (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
The use of the definite article depends on the preposition used. When you want to say "in Indonesia", you use en Indonésie and omit the article. However, when the country is the object of a preposition such as sur (about), you must include the definite article, resulting in l'Indonésie. Note that the adjective or the name of the language is derived from this noun following standard French adjective formation.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ɛ̃.do.ne.zi/ and consists of 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- French speakers often use the term les Indes orientales (the East Indies) when discussing the colonial history of the region leading up to the formation of l'Indonésie.
- While the country is Indonésie, the French term for the 'Indonesian archipelago' is l'archipel indonésien, emphasizing the geography of the 17,000 islands.
- If you wanted to say 'an Indonesian woman' in French, you would use the noun une Indonésienne, capitalizing the 'I' because it refers to the person, not the adjective.
Examples in context
- Je vis en Indonésie.I live in Indonesia.This sentence is useful for showing how to say "in Indonesia" using the preposition en.Tatoeba #3380624 by GB3, translation #2761041 by CN
- Tom ne sait pas grand-chose sur l'Indonésie.Tom doesn't know much about Indonesia.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the definite article with the preposition sur.Tatoeba #5707257 by Aiji, translation #1026098 by CK
- Le bateau transporte des matières premières d’Indonésie.The ship transports raw materials from Indonesia.This sentence is useful for showing how to express the origin of goods from Indonesia.Tatoeba #373620 by zmoo, translation #45688 by al_ex_an_der
- J'aimerais visiter l'Indonésie un jour.I would love to visit Indonesia someday.
- As-tu déjà goûté la cuisine indonésienne?Have you tried Indonesian cuisine?
- Les paysages de l'Indonésie sont à couper le souffle.Indonesia's landscapes are breathtaking.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are looking at a world map.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu as déjà visité l'Indonésie ?Have you ever visited Indonesia?
- GabrielNon, mais j'aimerais beaucoup y aller.No, but I would really like to go there.
- EmmaL'Indonésie a des paysages magnifiques.Indonesia has magnificent landscapes.
- GabrielC'est vrai, c'est une destination incroyable.That's true, it is an incredible destination.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “indonesia” translations and entries Indonésie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
