Écosse
/e.kɔs/feminine
Écosse is the French word for Scotland.
Écosse is the name for the constituent country of the United Kingdom located to the north of England. You can use it when discussing related items such as la côte écossaise (the Scottish coast), les lochs écossais (the Scottish lochs), le whisky écossais (Scottish whisky), le kilt (the kilt) or les jeux des Highlands (Highland games). It is also used to identify the capital, as in Édimbourg, la capitale de l'Écosse (Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland).
Meaning: constituent country of the United Kingdom to the north of England (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Écosse is a feminine noun, you use the preposition en to say "in Scotland" (en Écosse). When expressing origin, the preposition de elides to d’ because the name begins with a vowel, resulting in d'Écosse for "from Scotland".
How do you pronounce it?
/e.kɔs/
Did you know?
- The French term for a 'Scottish fold' cat is Chat Scottish Fold, as French often retains the English name for this specific breed instead of using écossais.
- The French word Écosse is a homophone for the word écosse, which means 'husk' or 'shell', such as the 'écosse d'un noyau' (the shell of a nut).
- The word Écosse shares a linguistic root with the Latin 'Scōtia', but its journey into French is not a direct line through Vulgar Latin as one might assume.
Examples in context
- Il est en Écosse.He's in Scotland.This sentence shows how to use Écosse with the preposition en.Tatoeba #8642857 by Julien_PDC, translation #9153774 by shekitten
- Mon ami vient d'Écosse.My friend comes from Scotland.This sentence shows how to use Écosse with the elided preposition d'.Tatoeba #13452102 by Rovo, translation #13451904 by rul
- C'est comment en Écosse, l'été ?What's Scotland like in summer?This sentence is a way to ask about the conditions in Écosse during a specific season.Tatoeba #1978566 by nimfeo, translation #24368 by orcrist
- La capitale de l'Écosse est Édimbourg.The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.
- J'ai visité l'Écosse pendant mes vacances. C'était magnifique !I visited Scotland during my vacation. It was magnificent!
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are discussing their future travel plans.
- EmmaJ'aimerais visiter l'Écosse l'année prochaine.I would like to visit Scotland next year.
- HugoMoi aussi, je veux voir les Highlands.Me too, I want to see the Highlands.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu connais quelqu'un en Écosse ?Do you know anyone in Scotland?
- HugoNon, mais on peut organiser le voyage ensemble.No, but we can organize the trip together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scotland” translations and entries Écosse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Écosse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
