Amérique du Sud
/a.me.ʁik dy syd/feminine
To say South America in French, use Amérique du Sud.
Amérique du Sud is the standard name of the continent. Le continent sud-américain is a longer, more formal way to refer to it.
Meaning: continent that is the southern part of the Americas (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is made of Amérique, America, du, of the and Sud, South.
Which one should you use?
North America is Amérique du Nord.
How does it change in a sentence?
The name is feminine. Use en for in or to, as in en Amérique du Sud and d' for from, as in d'Amérique du Sud.
How do you pronounce it?
The final d of Sud is pronounced, and the u in du and Sud is the French rounded vowel, made with the lips pushed forward.
Did you know?
- While French has its own roots, the word Sud was actually borrowed from the Old English word sūþ.
- If you were to speak about 'South America' in a highly formal, literary style, you might use the archaic verb form voyageâmes to say 'we traveled to South America'.
Examples in context
- Nous voyageâmes en Amérique du Sud.We traveled in South America.voyageâmes is a literary past form meaning we traveled.Tatoeba #4262120 by sak_sm, translation #263176 by CK
- Il vient de rentrer d'Amérique du Sud.He is coming back directly from South America.d'Amérique du Sud means from South America.Tatoeba #5972261 by christian63, translation #6164862 by jayrod84
- Mes parents vivent en Amérique du Sud.My parents live in South America.en Amérique du Sud means in South America.Tatoeba #10463026 by pkill, translation #13855312 by tieguy
- L'Amérique du Sud est un continent riche en diversité culturelle.South America is a continent rich in cultural diversity.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a travel documentary.
- LucasTu regardes un documentaire sur l'Amérique du Sud ?Are you watching a documentary about South America?
- LéaOui, c'est passionnant.Yes, it's fascinating.
- LucasLéa, tu aimerais y aller un jour ?Léa, would you like to go there one day?
- LéaAbsolument, c'est mon rêve.Absolutely, it's my dream.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “south america” translations and entries Amérique du Sud, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Amérique, Sud, du, sud, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
