La Nouvelle-Orléans
/la nu.vɛ.lɔʁ.le.ɑ̃/feminine
New Orleans is La Nouvelle-Orléans in French.
La Nouvelle-Orléans is the name of the city of New Orleans used in French.
Meaning: city (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
The name is a feminine noun phrase, so it is preceded by the feminine definite article la. When expressing being 'in' or going 'to' New Orleans, you use the preposition à followed by the definite article la, resulting in à la Nouvelle-Orléans.
How do you pronounce it?
/la nu.vɛ.lɔʁ.le.ɑ̃/ (5 syllables)
Did you know?
- The preposition à la used when saying 'to' or 'in' La Nouvelle-Orléans differs from the way most other French cities are addressed, which typically omit the article.
- The word nouvelle in La Nouvelle-Orléans shares the same root as the English word 'novel', as both come from the Latin word for 'new'.
- The name refers to a specific French person, the Duke of Orléans, rather than the French city of Orléans.
Examples in context
- L'ouragan Katrina dévasta la Nouvelle-Orléans.Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.This sentence uses La Nouvelle-Orléans to describe the impact of a hurricane on the city.Tatoeba #1618230 by sacredceltic, translation #1617827 by Spamster
- Rice est née à la Nouvelle-Orléans et la ville est devenue la toile de fond d'un grand nombre de ses livres.Rice was born in New Orleans and the city became the backdrop for many of her books.This sentence uses la Nouvelle-Orléans to describe where an author was born and how the city influenced her work.Tatoeba #11174409 by lbdx, translation #10558406 by Hybrid
- Le premier concours officiel pour le titre de champion du monde d'échecs (un match de 24 parties) a eu lieu à New York, Saint Louis et la Nouvelle-Orléans entre Wilhelm Steinitz (le vainqueur) et Johannes Zukertort, en 1886.The first official contest for the title of World Chess Champion (a 24-game match) took place in New York, Saint Louis, and New Orleans between Wilhelm Steinitz (the winner) and Johannes Zukertort, in 1886.This sentence uses la Nouvelle-Orléans in a list of cities where a chess championship took place.Tatoeba #10561485 by carlosalberto, translation #10561480 by carlosalberto
- La Nouvelle-Orléans est une ville historique et culturelle.New Orleans is a historical and cultural city.
- J'ai adoré l'atmosphère de NOLA pendant le festival.I loved the atmosphere in NOLA during the festival.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their dream travel destinations.
- ManonJ'aimerais vraiment visiter la Nouvelle-Orléans un jour.I would really like to visit New Orleans one day.
- GabrielMoi aussi, j'adore l'ambiance de la Nouvelle-Orléans.Me too, I love the atmosphere of New Orleans.
- ManonOn pourrait y aller ensemble l'année prochaine.We could go there together next year.
- GabrielC'est une excellente idée, Manon !That is an excellent idea, Manon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “new orleans” translations and entries La Nouvelle-Orléans, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries La Nouvelle-Orléans, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
