miles carrés
The English phrase "square miles" is translated into French as miles carrés.
This phrase is a unit of area used to measure the size of a region.
What does it mean word for word?
The word carrés is the plural form of carré, which means "square".
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a single unit, use the singular forms mile carré.
Did you know?
- The word mile in French is a loanword from English, but it shares a distant root with the Latin mille, meaning 'thousand', referring to the thousand paces of a Roman legion.
- While mile is a loanword, French speakers use the word mille to mean 'thousand'. This can lead to auditory confusion in fast speech between a distance and a large number.
- French speakers often use the term superficie to discuss the total 'square miles' or 'square kilometers' of a territory, whereas English speakers frequently just say 'size'.
Examples in context
- Le parc national mesure 5000 milles carrésThe national park measures 5000 square miles.
- La ville s'étend sur 50 milles carrés.The city spans 50 square miles.
- La réserve fait plus de mille miles carrés.The reserve is more than a thousand square miles.
- Cette île couvre environ cent miles carrés.This island covers about one hundred square miles.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are looking at a map of a national park.
- EmmaC'est un immense parc, n'est-ce pas ?It is a huge park, isn't it?
- NathanOui, il fait mille miles carrés.Yes, it is a thousand square miles.
- EmmaOn ne pourra pas tout visiter.We won't be able to visit everything.
- NathanJe suis d'accord avec toi, Emma.I agree with you, Emma.
