saxophone
/sak.sɔ.fɔn/masculine
The French word for saxophone is saxophone.
The term saxophone refers to the musical instrument of the woodwind family.
Meaning: a musical instrument of the woodwind family (noun)
Which one should you use?
Specific types of the instrument include Saxophone alto for the alto saxophone and Saxophone ténor for the tenor saxophone.
How does it change in a sentence?
saxophone is a masculine noun. Because of this, it is preceded by the masculine articles le or un, as in le saxophone.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /sak.sɔ.fɔn/.
Did you know?
- In French, the saxophone was famously resisted by the orchestral establishment, leading Adolphe Sax to fight numerous lawsuits to protect his patents.
- Early French military bands adopted the saxophone to bridge the sonic gap between the loud brass and the softer woodwinds.
- The word saxophone is a global loanword that entered many languages simultaneously because it was coined as a brand name by its inventor.
Examples in context
- Où est mon saxophone ?Where is my saxophone?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of your saxophone.Tatoeba #6448778 by felix63, translation #6736521 by Eccles17
- J’ai pensé offrir en cadeau mon saxophone à Tom.I thought about giving my saxophone to Tom as a gift.This sentence is useful for describing the intention of giving your saxophone as a gift.Tatoeba #2391410 by gillux, translation #1961187 by CK
- J'économise pour m'acheter un nouveau saxophone.I've been saving up to buy a new saxophone.This sentence is useful for stating that you are saving money to buy a new saxophone.Tatoeba #5382877 by Aiji, translation #3241699 by CK
- Hier soir, j'ai assisté à un concert de jazz où le saxophone était l'instrument principal.Last night, I attended a jazz concert where the saxophone was the main instrument.
- J'ai récemment commencé à prendre des cours de saxophone alto.I recently started taking alto saxophone lessons.
- Ça te dirait d'essayer de jouer du saxo ?Would you like to try playing the saxophone?
- Hier, j'ai écouté un morceau super cool avec une partie de saxe impressionnante.Yesterday, I listened to a really cool song with an impressive sax part.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are talking about their music lessons.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu joues du saxophone ?Do you play the saxophone?
- EmmaOui, j'adore le son du saxophone.Yes, I love the sound of the saxophone.
- GabrielMoi aussi, c'est un instrument magnifique.Me too, it is a magnificent instrument.
- EmmaOn pourrait jouer ensemble un jour.We could play together one day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “saxophone” translations and entries saxophone, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
