Mexico
cf. Ville de Mexico/mɛk.si.ko/feminine
In French, Mexico City is referred to as Mexico (cf. Ville de Mexico).
The term Mexico is used to name the capital city of Mexico. In French, the name Mexico is often used to refer specifically to the capital city, whereas le Mexique refers to the country.
Meaning: capital of Mexico (name)
Which one should you use?
The full formal name for the capital is la Ville de Mexico. Use le Mexique when you are talking about the country itself and Mexico when you are talking specifically about the capital city.
How does it change in a sentence?
Mexico is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛk.si.ko/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use le Mexique when they mean the city, but le Mexique refers only to the country.
Did you know?
- In French, 'Mexico' is a feminine noun. This distinguishes it from 'le Mexique', which is a masculine noun used for the country.
- To describe a person from the city specifically, French speakers avoid the adjective mexicain and use the phrase de Mexico. Using mexicain would instead describe someone's nationality regardless of their city.
- Because Mexico refers only to the city, a French speaker saying Je vais à Mexico is being more specific than an English speaker saying 'I am going to Mexico', which usually implies the whole country.
Examples in context
- Lorsque l'Espagne colonisa les Philippines, celles-ci furent administrées depuis Mexico. C'est donc l'espagnol mexicain, non le castillan, qui influença le tagalog.When Spain colonized the Philippines, they were administrated by Mexico City. So it was Mexican Spanish, not Castilian Spanish, that influenced Tagalog.This sentence shows the historical use of Mexico when discussing administration from the city.Tatoeba #799922 by U2FS, translation #799842 by papabear
- Je vais passer une semaine à Mexico.I am going to spend a week in Mexico City.
- Elle a grandi à Mexico.She grew up in Mexico City.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are planning a trip together.
- HugoEst-ce que tu veux visiter Mexico ?Do you want to visit Mexico City?
- LéaOui, j'en ai toujours rêvé !Yes, I have always dreamed of it!
- HugoOn peut réserver les billets demain.We can book the tickets tomorrow.
- LéaC'est parfait, j'ai hâte d'aller à Mexico.That's perfect, I can't wait to go to Mexico City.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mexico city” translations and entries Mexico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
