pot à sel
The English phrase "salt pig" is translated into French as pot à sel.
pot à sel refers specifically to a small container kept on a kitchen counter that holds salt for easy access while cooking.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pot (pot/container), à (for/with) and sel (salt).
Which one should you use?
While pot à sel refers to a container used for easy access during cooking, salière is the more common term for a salt shaker or salt cellar used at a dining table.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, such as "salt pigs", only the noun pot takes an s. The prepositional phrase à sel remains unchanged, resulting in pots à sel.
Did you know?
- The word sel shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'salary'.
- In French culture, the salt kept in a pot à sel is frequently sel gris, a coarse grey salt harvested from marshes that remains unrefined.
Examples in context
- Pourriez-vous m'apporter un pot à sel, s'il vous plaît?Could you bring me a salt pot, please?
- Le pot à sel est sur le plan de travail.The salt pig is on the countertop.
- Peux-tu me passer le pot à sel, s'il te plaît ?Can you pass me the salt pig, please?
- J'ai acheté un joli pot à sel en céramique.I bought a pretty ceramic salt pig.
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are cooking together in the kitchen.
- GabrielOù est le pot à sel ?Where is the salt pig?
- EmmaIl est juste à côté de la cuisinière.It is right next to the stove.
- GabrielMerci, Emma. Je l'ai trouvé.Thanks, Emma. I found it.
- EmmaDe rien, Gabriel.You're welcome, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pot, sel, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
