Should you say “Queens” or “the Queens”?
Queens is one of New York's five boroughs, but should you call it "Queens" or "the Queens"? We settle the debate once and for all.
New Yorkers say “Queens”
- Queens is one of the 5 boroughs of New York, meaning one of the major districts, alongside Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island. Yet many French speakers add an article when referring to this neighborhood. Is that wrong?
- This debate has raged on the New York forum for years, and I’ll settle it once and for all! 🙂 Strictly speaking in English, you should say “Queens” on its own, just as you say “Manhattan” or “Brooklyn”. If you add an article, you’d have to say “the Manhattan” or “the Brooklyn” too. The logic is consistent!
- The only borough that takes the article “the” is the Bronx, which is officially called “The Bronx” in New York.
French media often use an article with Queens…
- That said, the phrasing with an article has gained real traction in French, especially through cinema and action scenes set in Queens, or the Queens tennis tournament. This partly comes from the fact that the French phrasing is actually short for “the Queens neighborhood”.
- Besides, adapting place names is nothing unusual. French speakers go to London, even though the city is called London in English. An even clearer example: French speakers say “la Californie” while Americans simply say “California”, not “The California”. 😉
- So which version should you use? Choose whichever sounds right to you in your own language! But if you speak to an American in New York, stick with “Queens” alone—that’s the English convention. Enjoy your visit to Queens! 🙂
