If you ever travel to Paris you will definitely hear the word arrondissement. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements or city districts. Many people have a hard time with the pronunciation. The final EN is nasal and the final T is completely silent.
arrondissement
[a-ʀɔ̃-dis-mɑ̃]
Arrondissement pronunciation and meaning
Word origin and usages
The French masculine noun arrondissement comes from the verb arrondir (to make round) and has the ment suffix ending, which equates to -ly in English.
The number associated with each arrondissement is an ordinal number (premier, deuxième, troisième; first, second, third, etc.). The lower numbers are closest to the Seine River in city center and they go up in clockwise order (see image below).
The term arrondissement does not just apply to Paris. Other big cities including Marseille and Lyon are also divided into arrondissements.
Furthermore, France is divided into 101 départements or small states. These départements also divided into administrative districts called arrondissements.
Example sentences
Paris est divisé en vingt arrondissements.
Paris is divided into 20 districts.
La tour Eiffel est située à Paris dans le septième arrondissement.
The Eiffel tower is located in Paris in the seventh district.
Le musée du Louvre est situé dans le premier arrondissement de Paris.
The Louvre museum is located in the first district in Paris.
Related lessons
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