soucoupe
/su.kup/feminine
The English word saucer is translated into French as soucoupe. Wiktionary also lists sous-tasse.
Meaning: small dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| soucoupe | /su.kup/ | feminine |
| sous-tasse | /su.tas/ | feminine |
A saucer is a small dish. The fixed expression soucoupe volante is specifically used to refer to a flying saucer or a UFO.
What does it mean word for word?
The term sous-tasse is a compound of sous (under) and tasse (cup).
Which one should you use?
While both words mean saucer, soucoupe is the standard term for a saucer used with a cup, whereas sous-tasse is a more descriptive, literal term for the same object.
How do you pronounce it?
/su.kup/
Did you know?
- While soucoupe volante means 'flying saucer', the more formal or scientific term for a UFO in French is OVNI, which stands for objet volant non identifié.
- The French word soucoupe is a direct calque of the Italian sottocoppa, essentially a linguistic mirror of the Italian word for 'under cup'.
- The term soucoupe volante for 'flying saucer' was popularized by French newspapers in the 1950s after a series of UFO sightings in Europe.
Examples in context
- On a vu une soucoupe volante.We saw a flying saucer.The sentence is useful for seeing how to say we saw a flying saucer using soucoupe.Tatoeba #11231323 by lbdx, translation #1404664 by CK
- Je suis une soucoupe volante.I'm a flying saucer.The sentence is useful for saying I am a flying saucer using soucoupe.Tatoeba #12416611 by Orange, translation #12416612 by Orange
- Regarde ! C'est une soucoupe volante !Look! A flying saucer!The sentence is useful for exclaiming that something is a flying saucer using soucoupe.Tatoeba #9934834 by Rovo, translation #10528674 by DJ_Saidez
- Une soucoupe de théA teacup saucer
- J'ai renversé mon thé sans faire attention. Peux-tu me passer une soucoupe, s'il te plaît?I spilled my tea without noticing. Can you pass me a saucer, please?
- Pose la tasse sur l'assiette pour ne pas laisser de traces de café sur la table.Put the cup on the saucer to avoid leaving coffee stains on the table.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen, a woman is setting the table for tea.
- LucasManon, où est la soucoupe pour cette tasse ?Manon, where is the saucer for this cup?
- ManonElle est sur la table, près du sucre.It is on the table, near the sugar.
- LucasAh oui, je l'ai trouvée.Ah yes, I found it.
- ManonSuper, Lucas, prépare le thé maintenant.Great, Lucas, prepare the tea now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “saucer” translations and entries soucoupe, sous-tasse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soucoupe, sous-tasse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
