Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tasse | /tas/ /tɑs/ |
feminine |
| coupe | /kup/ | feminine |
The term refers to a drinking vessel. You can specify the purpose of a cup using the structure tasse à [purpose], such as tasse à café for a coffee cup. To describe a serving of a beverage, use the construction une tasse de [beverage]. Examples of specific vessels include tasse en porcelaine for a porcelain cup and gobelet en plastique for a plastic cup.
Which one should you use?
Use tasse for a standard cup, such as a teacup or a coffee cup with a handle. Use coupe for a wide, shallow vessel like a bowl, a goblet or a dessert cup. Note that coupe can also refer to a trophy (as in the name Coupe).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both words are feminine. The plural of tasse is tasses and the plural of coupe is coupes.
How do you pronounce it?
/tas/
When do people say it?
When ordering in a café, saying un café or un petit café is a common way to indicate that you want a cup of coffee.
Did you know?
- While tasse is used for drinking, the word coupe is also the noun for a 'haircut' because it comes from the verb couper, meaning 'to cut'.
- The word tasse actually has roots in Arabic, originating from the word ṭās, which refers to a vessel or bowl.
- The word coupe refers to a specific style of shallow, wide champagne glass that differs from the tall, thin flûte.
Examples in context
- La tasse est en or.The cup is made of gold.This sentence describes the material of the cup using tasse.Tatoeba #11384948 by Aiji, translation #61234 by CK
- La tasse est pleine.The cup is full.This sentence describes the state of the cup using tasse.Tatoeba #640049 by qdii, translation #462668 by lukaszpp
- La coupe était vide.The cup was empty.This sentence describes the state of the cup using coupe.Tatoeba #7094496 by Micsmithel, translation #2146880 by Lars224
- Pouvez-vous me passer une tasse de thé?Could you pass me a cup of tea?
- Je voudrais une tasse de café, s'il vous plaît.I would like a cup of coffee, please.
- Veuillez prendre un gobelet de jus d'orange.Please take a cup of orange juice.
- J'ai besoin d'un gobelet en plastique pour l'eau.I need a plastic cup for the water.
- Où as-tu mis ma tasse de café?Where did you put my cup of coffee?
- Attends, je vais chercher une tasse pour le thé.Wait, I'll get a cup for the tea.
- J'adore boire mon café dans un mug.I love drinking my coffee in a mug.
- Pourrais-tu me passer un mug de chocolat chaud, s'il te plaît?Could you pass me a mug of hot chocolate, please?
- 342 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen during breakfast.
- LéaNathan, tu peux me donner ma tasse ?Nathan, can you give me my cup?
- NathanOui, la voilà, Léa.Yes, here it is, Léa.
- LéaMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
- NathanDe rien.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cup” translations and entries tasse, coupe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coupe, tasse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
