sauce
/sos/feminine
In French, the word for sauce is sauce.
The word sauce refers to a liquid condiment. Idiomatically, in a colloquial context, the phrase envoie la sauce ! can be used to mean 'bring it on!' or to urge someone to start something with energy.
Meaning: liquid condiment (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the specific term la sauce à spaghetti is used when referring to tomato-based pasta sauce.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because sauce is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine article la instead of the masculine le.
How do you pronounce it?
/sos/
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'sauce' is almost always a noun, the French use the phrase saucer as a verb meaning to mop up the remaining sauce from a plate with bread.
- In French slang, the word sauce can refer to a messy or complicated situation. To be dans la sauce means to be in deep trouble or caught in a difficult spot.
- The word sauce shares an ancestral root with the English word 'salt', both descending from the Latin word for salt, 'sal'.
Examples in context
- Envoie la sauce !Pass the sauce!This sentence shows how to use sauce in an idiomatic, energetic way.Tatoeba #826093 by U2FS, translation #7357057 by Eccles17
- Versez le vin dans la sauce.Pour the wine into the sauce.This sentence demonstrates how to use sauce when pouring a liquid into it.Tatoeba #6601152 by aperitero, translation #6600835 by Eccles17
- Mettez la sauce séparément s'il vous plait.I'd like the sauce on the side.This sentence shows how to use sauce when requesting it be served on the side.Tatoeba #6933816 by Hoshikaze, translation #51049 by CK
- Tu devrais goûter la sauce piquante de ce restaurant !You should try the spicy sauce from this restaurant!
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are having dinner at a restaurant.
- LucasEst-ce que la sauce est bonne ?Is the sauce good?
- ManonOui, elle est délicieuse, Lucas.Yes, it is delicious, Lucas.
- LucasJe vais en demander un peu plus.I am going to ask for a little more.
- ManonMoi aussi, j'adore cette sauce.Me too, I love this sauce.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sauce” translations and entries sauce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sauce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
