Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| quartier | /kaʁ.tje/ | masculine |
| voisinage | /vwa.zi.naʒ/ | masculine |
| environs | /ɑ̃.vi.ʁɔ̃/ | masculine, plural |
The term used for neighborhood depends on whether you are discussing a geographic district, the people living nearby or the general surroundings. For example, the idiomatic expression quartier chaud is used to describe a rough or dangerous neighborhood.
Which one should you use?
Use quartier when referring to a specific geographic district or section of a city. Use voisinage when you are referring to the immediate vicinity or the collective group of neighbors. Use environs to refer to the surrounding area or the outskirts of a specific place.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of quartier is quartiers. The word environs is a masculine noun that is almost always used in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of quartier is /kaʁ.tje/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The term quartier comes from the word for 'fourth', reflecting how many ancient cities were traditionally divided into four main sections.
- While quartier refers to a district, the term quartier latin specifically describes the historic student area of Paris, a name that has become a global shorthand for an intellectual neighborhood.
- The word quartier is used in French military contexts to describe a soldier's barracks or the designated area where they are stationed.
Examples in context
- Je connais ce quartier.I am familiar with this neighborhood.This sentence shows how to express familiarity with a quartier.Tatoeba #6877200 by Micsmithel, translation #253726 by CK
- C'est un quartier chaud.It's a bad neighborhood.This sentence uses the idiom quartier chaud to describe a rough area.Tatoeba #5290008 by Blabla, translation #3618598 by CK
- Je connais ce voisinage.I know that neighborhood.This sentence demonstrates the use of voisinage to refer to a neighborhood.Tatoeba #8107379 by Aiji, translation #4499745 by CK
- J'habite près du quartier historique.I live near the historic neighborhood.
- C'est un quartier sympa ici.This is a nice neighborhood around here.
- 92 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are walking through a new part of town.
- NathanEst-ce que tu aimes ce quartier ?Do you like this neighborhood?
- ChloéOui, il est très mignon.Yes, it is very cute.
- NathanOn pourrait y habiter, Chloé.We could live here, Chloé.
- ChloéC'est une excellente idée !That is an excellent idea!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “neighborhood” translations and entries quartier, voisinage, environs, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries environs, quartier, voisinage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
