Meaning & use
Addis Ababa
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The capital city of Ethiopia, in the central highlands of the country.
Grammar: A proper noun, so it takes no article: say 'Addis Ababa is busy', not 'the Addis Ababa'.
Patterns
- in Addis Ababa
- to Addis Ababa
- from Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia and its largest city.
She flew to Addis Ababa for a business meeting.
The African Union has its headquarters in Addis Ababa.
proper nounproper
The government or administrative center of Ethiopia, used when talking about national decisions.
Grammar: Used like other capital-city names to stand for a national government: 'Addis Ababa announced...'.
Patterns
- Addis Ababa announced something
- Addis Ababa rejected something
Addis Ababa announced new rules for foreign investors.
The deal was signed after talks between Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Common combinations
- the capital, Addis Ababa
- They traveled from the capital, Addis Ababa, to the southern region.
- fly to Addis Ababa
- We fly to Addis Ababa, then drive north.
- live in Addis Ababa
- My cousin lives in Addis Ababa and works at a hotel.
- a flight from Addis Ababa
- Our flight from Addis Ababa was delayed by two hours.
- the road to Addis Ababa
- The road to Addis Ababa was closed after heavy rain.
- headquarters in Addis Ababa
- The organization has its headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Ethiopia's capital
- A descriptive phrase rather than a name; use it when readers may not know the city, as in 'Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa'.
Commonly confused: Addis Ababa or Ethiopia? Addis Ababa or Addis Abeba?
Addis Ababa vs Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the whole country, while Addis Ababa is only its capital city; a person can live in Ethiopia but not in Addis Ababa.
Addis Ababa vs Addis Abeba
An older spelling of the same city; modern English writing usually prefers 'Addis Ababa'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the name correctly.
Choose one answer.
Addis Ababa is a proper noun, so it needs no article and no plural: 'to Addis Ababa' is correct. Options with 'the', 'an' or a plural ending are wrong because city names are not used that way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Addis Ababa”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.