French Conversation · Level 125
55 words
French word
cité
Pronunciation
IPA/site/
Meaning
- feminine nounhousing estate
Example
Il habite dans une cité depuis dix ans.
He has lived on a housing estate for ten years.
More examples
La mairie organise une fête dans la cité ce week-end.
The city hall is organizing a festival on the estate this weekend.
Core concept
A cluster of apartment blocks linked by shared paths and open spaces.
Common phrases
habiter dans la cité
live on the estate
la cité HLM
the public-housing estate
les habitants de la cité
residents of the estate
Similar words
quartier: A part of a town where homes and shops form a local community.
immeuble: A single multi-story building containing several homes or rooms.
résidence: A residential complex containing multiple homes under shared management.
HLM: Publicly provided rental housing offered at low rents.
Definition in French
Terme désignant un quartier d'habitations construit en blocs, souvent constitué de logements collectifs ou sociaux.
Word origin
French cité comes from Old French cité, inherited from Latin civitas, and its housing-estate sense developed from older meanings of a city or urban community.
Usage tips
- In present-day French, cité can suggest a large social-housing estate, while quartier is broader and more neutral.