"The city"

[alexx]

^ It might make sense in Australia, or other English-speaking countries for that matter, but not in Belgium.

When I go to the city near which I live, I sometimes say "I'm going to the city" but that city is NOT the capital of the province where I live.

For example, if I would live in a town near Ostend (which is a Belgian city) and wanted to go to Ostend, I would say "I'm going to the city" but Bruges is the capital of that province, not Ostend. If I was about to go to Bruges, I would say "I'm going to Bruges", not "I'm going to the city". I hope this makes sense.

In Belgium, a province has a capital which is usually the main and biggest city in that province, then you have other cities and then you have towns and villages.

But thank you for answering.

..Yea I think that's what I was trying to get at, as in there is only one city rather than a few different smaller ones and then a main one - within the entire state of NSW - and that's Sydney, so that's why we just call it city. Yeah what Julez said too, you say Melbourne, or Adelaide or whichever when it isn't your states city.

[Symphony]

Yeah, I live in a small town in ireland, and when we're going to the city, we'd say just that - the city, not hte name of it. Maybe it is along those lines.

I've always noticed that though, and thought it odd too