Irlande
/iʁ.lɑ̃d/feminine
The French word for Ireland is Irlande.
Irlande refers to the country. L'Irlande is the standard and neutral way to refer to Ireland in French, and can be used casually in conversations among friends. When using Ireland as the subject of a sentence, it is preceded by the definite article l’.
Meaning: country (name)
Which one should you use?
La République d'Irlande is the official name of the country and is used in formal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Irlande is a feminine country name, you use the preposition en to say in Ireland (en Irlande). When saying from Ireland, the preposition de elides to d' because Irlande begins with a vowel, resulting in d'Irlande.
How do you pronounce it?
/iʁ.lɑ̃d/
Did you know?
- While Irlande is the common name, you might encounter the term l'Hibernie in French literature or poetry. This is the French equivalent of the Latin 'Hibernia', a classical name for the island.
- If you wish to distinguish the physical island from the political state, French speakers specifically use the phrase l'île d'Irlande. This prevents any confusion between the geography and the Republic.
- The word Irlande was inherited from Old French, meaning the name has remained virtually unchanged in the language for centuries.
Examples in context
- Dublin est en Irlande.Dublin is in Ireland.This sentence is useful for stating the location of a city using Irlande.Tatoeba #4247321 by mouche, translation #2974636 by CM
- L'Irlande est un pays très beau.Ireland is a very beautiful country.This sentence is useful for describing the country using Irlande.Tatoeba #2508087 by Aiji, translation #2505265 by _undertoad
- Ses ancêtres sont venus d'Irlande.His ancestors went there from Ireland.This sentence is useful for describing origin using Irlande.Tatoeba #15331 by Micsmithel, translation #287016 by CK
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing their next vacation destination.
- ManonJe veux aller en Irlande l'année prochaine.I want to go to Ireland next year.
- LucasC'est une excellente idée, Lucas !That's an excellent idea, Lucas!
- ManonEst-ce que tu connais quelqu'un en Irlande ?Do you know anyone in Ireland?
- LucasNon, mais j'aimerais beaucoup visiter ce pays.No, but I would really like to visit that country.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ireland” translations and entries Irlande, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Irlande, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
