gaz
/ɡaz/
The English word "gas" translates to gaz in French when referring to fuel.
gaz is used to refer to fuel in a gaseous state or the state of matter itself. While it refers to gaseous fuel, it is not a colloquialism for gasoline. To refer to gasoline or petrol, you should use the word essence.
Meaning: fuel (noun)
Which one should you use?
gaz refers to the state of matter or gaseous fuel, whereas it is not used to mean gasoline in French.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡaz/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use gaz to mean "gasoline" (petrol). In French, gaz refers specifically to gaseous fuel or the state of matter, so use essence instead if you mean gasoline.
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase avoir des gaz is a common way to say someone has flatulence. This uses the same word as the fuel gaz to describe the biological state.
- While gaz means fuel, the French word for gasoline, essence, literally translates to 'essence' or 'extract'. This reflects the early chemical view of fuel as the distilled essence of a substance.
- The term gaz entered the French language from the Dutch word gas, which was coined by the chemist Jan Baptista van Helmont in the 17th century.
Examples in context
- Coupe le gaz !Cut off the gas!This sentence is useful for practicing how to command someone to cut off the gaz.Tatoeba #3655719 by THURET, translation #1729946 by AlanF_US
- Il sentit du gaz.He smelled gas.This sentence shows how to describe smelling the gaz.Tatoeba #11879069 by zogwarg, translation #8478066 by CH
- Tom a allumé le gaz.Tom turned on the gas.This sentence demonstrates the action of turning on the gaz.Tatoeba #4451346 by franlexcois, translation #2546943 by CK
- Je dois faire le plein d'essence pour ma voiture.I need to fill up with gas for my car.
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are in the kitchen during a power outage.
- ChloéOn n'a plus d'électricité, utilise le gaz.We have no more electricity, use the gas.
- NathanJe ne sais pas comment allumer le gaz.I don't know how to turn on the gas.
- ChloéC'est facile, regarde Nathan.It's easy, look Nathan.
- NathanD'accord, je vois comment ça marche.Okay, I see how it works.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gaz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
