I’ve just heard, for example, to just say “from/in Moscow” or, when comparing it to something like “I went to an American school and then a Russian one”, you just say the country as the adjective.

  • @GB19@lemm.eeEnglish
    2•3 days ago

    москвич, which translates to muscovite.

    versaillais just translates to “from Versailles”

  • The Octonaut
    17•10 days ago

    People are answering your headline but not understanding your question; the two aren’t as linked as they would be in French.

    All of these are valid:

    • I went to a Moscow school
    • I went to a school in Moscow
    • I went to a Versaille cafe
    • I went to a cafe in Versaille.
    • I dated a London girl
    • I dated a girl from London

    These sound more natural than the following:

    • I went to a Muscovite school
    • I went to a Versaillian cafe (People have been giving you the direct French for Versaillais, but English wouldn’t use fhat)
    • I dated a Londoner girl.

    At least for Muscovite, it retains the implication that the school is for people from Moscow, rather than the school being in Moscow. You could have a Muscovite school in London. You could have a Versaillian cafe in Osaka.

    You can see this a lot more often in religion, eg. I went to a Presbyterian school - I went to a school for Presbyterians.

    • @Rudee@lemmy.ml
      3•9 days ago

      A demonym is a noun that specifically refers to a person from a particular location; you can’t use it as an adjective.

      So in your second list, a school can’t be a Muscovite, since it isn’t a person. You could have met a Muscovite at the school in Moscow.

      You would just say that you dated a Londoner. You would then use an adjective to describe the Londoner further (a female Londoner) or make the sentence longer and a bit clunkier IMO (a Londoner who was a woman)

  • @morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de
    41•10 days ago

    The noun that describes a person or thing from a place is a “demonym”. American, Michigander, Californian, New Yorker…

    • Moscow: a Muscovite
    • Versailles: a Versaillais (pronounced “ver-sah-yeah”)

    it’s on the wikipedia page of most places

  • Em Adespoton
    3•10 days ago

    Something in Russian and French :)

    (Actual answers already in another comment)

    Foreign language names for where people are from are usually limited to region and country.