French word

ville

Pronunciation

IPA/vil/

Meaning

  • feminine nountown

Example

Je vais en ville ce soir.

I'm going into town tonight.

Illustration for ville (town)

More examples

Nous vivons en ville depuis cinq ans.

We have been living in town for five years.

Core concept

A settled urban place where homes, shops, public services, and transport bring daily activity together.

Common phrases

  • aller en ville

    go into town

  • vivre en ville

    live in town

  • en ville

    in town

Similar words

centre-ville: The central part of a town or city where shops, public offices, and banks are concentrated.
banlieue: An outer urban area with many homes and apartment buildings, away from the city center.
campagne: Open rural land beyond the city, with scattered houses, farmland, and natural surroundings.
village: A small cluster of homes and a few local shops forming a modest settlement.

Definition in French

Agglomération habitée dotée de commerces, de services publics et d'infrastructures, généralement plus grande et plus peuplée qu'un village.

Word origin

Ville descends from Latin villa, meaning a country house or estate, whose sense broadened in Old French to a settlement and then a town or city.

Usage tips

  • In Je vais en ville, en ville is an idiomatic article-free phrase meaning going into town or the urban area.

Other meanings

  • citynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word