essence
/e.sɑ̃s/
The English phrase petrol is essence in French.
essence is used to refer specifically to petrol (gasoline). If you want to say 'to fill up the tank with petrol', you should use the phrase faire le plein d'essence.
Which one should you use?
While essence refers specifically to petrol, the word carburant is a more general term that can refer to any fuel, including diesel. To be specific about diesel fuel, you can use the term gazole.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /e.sɑ̃s/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word essence is also used in the perfume industry to describe a concentrated fragrance oil, which is quite different from the liquid used to power a car.
- The word essence shares an unexpected ancestor with the Latin verb 'edō', which means 'to eat'. This suggests the word originally described the very thing a machine 'consumes' to function.
- While essence is the standard term in France, speakers in Quebec and other French-speaking regions may use different terminology or loanwords influenced by North American English.
Examples in context
- L'essence est trop chère.Petrol is too expensive.This sentence is useful for noting that essence can be expensive.Tatoeba #10738077 by lbdx, translation #10724997 by carlosalberto
- L'essence va nous manquer.We're running out of petrol.This sentence is useful for saying that you are running out of essence.Tatoeba #1527488 by sacredceltic, translation #10718936 by sundown
- Nous fûmes à court d'essence.We ran out of petrol.This sentence is useful for saying that you ran out of essence.Tatoeba #1013949 by sacredceltic, translation #1013928 by BE
- Je vais faire le plein d'essenceI am going to get some petrol.
- J'ai besoin de faire le plein de carburantI need to fill up with fuel/gas.
- Peux-tu prendre de l'essence avant de venir au travail?Can you get some petrol before coming to work?
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are driving and notice the fuel gauge is low.
- LucasOn n'a presque plus d'essence.We have almost no petrol left.
- ManonIl y a une station là-bas.There is a station over there.
- LucasJe vais faire le plein d'essence.I am going to fill up on petrol.
- ManonD'accord, on s'arrête maintenant.Okay, let's stop now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry essence, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries essence, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
