URSS
/y.ɛ.ʁɛ.sɛs/feminine
To say USSR in French, use URSS. It is the initialism of the full French name of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Meaning: Initialism or shortening of "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The letters follow the French word order, union, republics, socialist and soviet, which is why they differ from the English initialism.
How does it change in a sentence?
URSS is a feminine noun. Because it starts with a vowel sound, the article becomes l', as in l'URSS.
How do you pronounce it?
Each letter is said separately: /y.ɛ.ʁɛ.sɛs/, in four syllables.
Did you know?
- In French historical texts, you may see the term le bloc de l'Est used interchangeably with l'URSS when referring to the geopolitical sphere of influence rather than just the state.
- Because URSS is feminine, a French speaker would say la grande URSS rather than le grand URSS, contrasting with the gender-neutral treatment of 'USSR' in English.
- In French, you must pronounce every single letter of URSS individually, spelling it out as /y.ɛ.ʁɛ.sɛs/, rather than pronouncing it as a single word like 'ussr' in English.
Examples in context
- L’URSS me manque.I miss the USSR.L’URSS uses the shortened article before the initialism.Tatoeba #10690426 by AutoBot, translation #10690422 by AutoBot
- Que signifie URSS ?What does USSR stand for?Here URSS stands without an article because the term itself is being quoted.Tatoeba #435535 by Clavain, translation #72160 by CK
- La guerre froide se termina en même temps que la chute de l'URSS.The Cold War ended with the fall of the USSR.la chute de l'URSS means the fall of the USSR.Tatoeba #1086737 by Quazel, translation #1625519 by Christophe
- L'URSS était l'un des deux principaux protagonistes de la guerre froide.The USSR was one of the two main protagonists of the Cold War.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a history lecture in a cafe.
- HugoTu as fini ton exposé sur l'URSS ?Have you finished your presentation on the USSR?
- ChloéPas encore, c'est un sujet très complexe.Not yet, it is a very complex subject.
- HugoL'histoire de l'URSS est vraiment passionnante.The history of the USSR is truly fascinating.
- ChloéOui, j'aime beaucoup étudier cette période.Yes, I really like studying that period.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ussr” translations and entries URSS, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
