system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 why people call cities in different countries by different names e.g. London -> Londres

Surely it's just London? Or Roma? Or Lisboa?
Why the different names?
gpt
Firstly, the names go back so far that they have evolved in both languages since first usage. London used to be Londinium or Lundinium, and was commonly called Lundin or Londin prior to becoming London.

The first usage of place names was often by mariners, who would convey the name verbally. Londres in French sounds similar to how the English said Lundin. That's the main theory.

Other places you get different spellings to accommodate the common phonetic spelling in various languages. Consider Den Haag / The Hague / La Haya.

Also, sometimes we alter a place name to make it conform more with our respective languages. Lisbon / Lisboa or Milan / Milano.