pays de Galles
/pɛ.i d(ə) ɡal/masculine
In French, the name for the constituent nation of the United Kingdom, Wales, is pays de Galles.
pays de Galles is used to refer to the country of Wales.
Meaning: a constituent nation of the United Kingdom (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because pays is a masculine noun, you use the prepositional phrase au pays de Galles to say 'in Wales' and the form du pays de Galles to say 'of Wales'.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛ.i d(ə) ɡal/
Did you know?
- The name Galles actually traces back to the Old English word 'Wealas', which meant 'foreigner' or 'stranger'.
- While pays de Galles is the name of the nation, the French adjective for Welsh is gallois.
- In French, pays can mean a 'country' like pays de Galles, but it can also mean a specific 'region' or 'landscape'.
Examples in context
- Au Pays de Galles, on a une expression.In Wales, we have a saying.This sentence shows how to use pays de Galles when talking about a saying in the country.Tatoeba #8450110 by Aiji, translation #5229844 by AlanF_US
- L'Angleterre proprement dite n'englobe pas le pays de Galles.England proper does not include Wales.This sentence demonstrates the use of pays de Galles to show that England does not include it.Tatoeba #1563250 by Rovo, translation #26127 by Dejo
- Y a-t-il plus de moutons au pays de Galles ou en Nouvelle-Zélande ?Are there more sheep in Wales or in New Zealand?This sentence shows how to use pays de Galles when comparing the number of sheep in different locations.Tatoeba #6929230 by Rockaround, translation #6935567 by kaiperkins271
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about their dream vacations.
- LéaJe veux visiter le pays de Galles.I want to visit Wales.
- HugoC'est une excellente idée, Léa !That is an excellent idea, Léa!
- LéaOn peut y aller ensemble, Hugo ?Can we go there together, Hugo?
- HugoOui, j'adore les paysages du pays de Galles.Yes, I love the landscapes of Wales.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wales” translations and entries pays de Galles, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Galles, de, pays, pays de Galles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
