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French vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "downtown" in French?
le centre-ville
In French, "downtown" is le centre-ville.
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Pronunciation
Pronounce son-truh-VEEL, nasalizing the first syllable and stressing the final one.
Grammar notes
le centre-ville is masculine. Its plural is centres-villes.
Example sentence
Elle travaille au centre-ville près de la rivière.
She works downtown near the river.
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How to remember le centre-ville
Centre-ville literally means 'center of the city', a fully logical phrase for downtown.
Related words
- courtyard la cour
- plaza la place
- square la place
- monument le monument
- lighthouse le phare
- pier la jetée
- dock le quai
- marina la marina
- suburb la banlieue
Browse all French words in the glossary.
Questions about le centre-ville
How do you pronounce le centre-ville?
Pronounce son-truh-VEEL, nasalizing the first syllable and stressing the final one.
Is le centre-ville masculine or feminine?
le centre-ville is masculine. le centre-ville is masculine. Its plural is centres-villes.
How is le centre-ville used in French?
le centre-ville is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: Elle travaille au centre-ville près de la rivière. (She works downtown near the river.).
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"Downtown" in other languages
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