aigre
/ɛɡʁ/
The English phrase sour is translated into French as aigre. Wiktionary also lists sur.
Meaning: having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| aigre | /ɛɡʁ/ |
| sur | /syʁ/ (Europe) /sʏʁ/ (Canada) |
The term is used to describe a taste that is acidic, sharp or tangy.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛɡʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use acide to mean 'sour', but acide refers specifically to the chemical property of acidity, whereas aigre refers to the perceived taste.
Did you know?
- The French word aigre shares a common ancestor with the English word 'acute', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'sharp'.
- The word aigre can also be used to describe a sharp, piercing sound, moving the concept of 'sourness' from the tongue to the ears.
- In French, if you want to describe a person with a 'sour' or grumpy personality, you might use aigri instead of a word meaning acidic taste.
Examples in context
- Le lait est aigre.The milk tastes sour.This sentence is useful for saying the milk tastes sour using aigre.Tatoeba #3137251 by Aiji, translation #48718 by CK
- Ce lait est aigre.This milk is sour.Tatoeba #10348449 by felix63, translation #10348459 by DJ_Saidez
- Ce lait a un goût aigre.This milk tastes sour.This sentence is useful for saying this milk has a sour taste using aigre.Tatoeba #180527 by Aiji, translation #59701 by CK
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are tasting a homemade dressing.
- ChloéQue penses-tu de cette sauce, Nathan ?What do you think of this sauce, Nathan?
- NathanElle est un peu trop aigre pour moi.It is a bit too sour for me.
- ChloéAh, je la trouve vraiment trop aigre.Ah, I find it really too sour.
- NathanAjoutons un peu de sucre pour Chloé.Let's add a little sugar for Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sour” translations and entries aigre, sur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aigre, sur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
