souterrain
/su.tɛ.ʁɛ̃/
The English word underground can be translated into French as souterrain.
souterrain is an adjective meaning below the ground, similar to subterranean. While souterrain describes things that are physically located below the earth, French speakers refer to the underground transit system as le métro.
Meaning: below the ground (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word souterrain is a compound of sous (under) and terrain (ground/land/terrain).
Which one should you use?
Use the adjective souterrain to describe a noun, such as a cave. To describe where an action happens, such as living underground, use the adverbial phrases sous terre or sous la terre.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective souterrain takes the feminine form souterraine to agree with feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /su.tɛ.ʁɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- While souterrain describes physical locations, the word underground as a metaphor for a secret resistance movement is often translated as clandestin in French.
- The phrase sous terre is frequently used as a euphemism for being dead and buried, similar to the English phrase 'six feet under'.
- The root of terrain comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ters-, which originally related to drying or being parched.
Examples in context
- Il aime explorer les cavernes souterraines.He likes to explore underground caves.Tatoeba #7698354 by Maxence, translation #1295039 by CK
- Quelques-uns construisirent des maisons partiellement souterraines.Some built houses partly underground.Tatoeba #1085780 by sacredceltic, translation #807295 by Source_VOA
- Il y a une tendance à employer l'espace souterrain pour les fins les moins ornementales de la civilisation.There is a tendency to utilize underground space for the less ornamental purposes of civilization.Tatoeba #3745167 by sacredceltic, translation #3720643 by Hybrid
- La réserve du musée se trouve dans un espace souterrain.The museum's storage facility is located underground.
- La galerie souterraine relie les deux bâtiments.The underground passage connects the two buildings.
- On se retrouve dans ce bar souterrain sympa en centre-ville.We're meeting at that cool underground bar in the city center.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing the layout of a new museum.
- GabrielOù se trouve la nouvelle galerie ?Where is the new gallery?
- ManonElle est dans le passage souterrain.It is in the underground passage.
- GabrielEst-ce qu'il y a un ascenseur ?Is there an elevator?
- ManonOui, Gabriel, il est juste ici.Yes, Gabriel, it is right here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “underground” translations and entries souterrain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries souterrain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
