Orléans
/ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃/masculine
Orleans in French is Orléans, written with an accent on the e.
Orléans is a city in central France and the capital of its region.
Meaning: capital city of Centre-Val de Loire, France (name)
Is it said differently in some regions?
The American city of New Orleans is la Nouvelle-Orléans in French.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say in Orleans, use à: à Orléans. The name of New Orleans keeps its article, as in à la Nouvelle-Orléans.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃/, with a nasal vowel at the end and a silent s.
Did you know?
- The name Orléans comes from the Latin Aurelianum, which was named after the Roman Emperor Aurelian.
- In French, the city of Orléans is often associated with the 'Maid of Orléans', the title given to Joan of Arc after she liberated the city in 1429.
- The name Orléans is historically tied to the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the royal Bourbons that produced the last King of France, Louis Philippe I.
Examples in context
- L'ouragan Katrina dévasta la Nouvelle-Orléans.Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.la Nouvelle-Orléans is the French name for New Orleans.Tatoeba #1618230 by sacredceltic, translation #1617827 by Spamster
- J'habite à Orléans.I live in Orleans.J'habite à Orléans uses à before the city name.Tatoeba #11073554 by seb_tal, translation #11903204 by purple_ice
- 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.à la Nouvelle-Orléans shows the article kept after à.Tatoeba #11174409 by lbdx, translation #10558406 by Hybrid
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are planning a weekend trip.
- ManonOn va passer le week-end à Orléans ?Are we spending the weekend in Orléans?
- NathanOui, c'est une très jolie ville.Yes, it is a very pretty city.
- ManonJ'ai hâte de visiter Orléans avec toi.I can't wait to visit Orléans with you.
- NathanMoi aussi, on partira samedi matin.Me too, we will leave Saturday morning.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orleans” translations and entries Orléans, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Orléans, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
