When you're trying to say that everyone or everything is included, except for one thing or person, you'll use the word sauf.
Think of it like saying "apart from" or "with the exception of."
For example, if you say "Tout le monde est là, sauf Paul," it means "Everyone is here, except for Paul."
It's a really handy word to know when you need to make exceptions in your sentences!
When you're speaking French, you'll often need to exclude something from a general statement. That's where sauf comes in handy. Think of it like saying 'except for' or 'apart from' in English. It's a really useful word for making your sentences more precise.
For example, if you say 'Tout le monde est là sauf Jean', you're clearly stating that everyone is present with the single exception of Jean. You can also use it to talk about exceptions to rules or general situations. It's a simple word that adds a lot of clarity to your communication.
Guía de pronunciación
- pronouncing the 'f' sound too strongly as in 'safe'
- not rounding the lips enough for the 'o' sound
Ejemplos por nivel
Tout le monde est là, sauf Marie.
Everyone is here, except for Marie.
J'aime tous les fruits, sauf les bananes.
I like all fruits, except for bananas.
Elle a tout mangé, sauf le brocoli.
She ate everything, except for the broccoli.
Nous travaillons tous les jours, sauf le dimanche.
We work every day, except for Sunday.
Le magasin est ouvert tous les jours, sauf les jours fériés.
The store is open every day, except for holidays.
J'ai tout compris, sauf la dernière phrase.
I understood everything, except for the last sentence.
Ils sont tous partis, sauf lui.
They all left, except for him.
Le restaurant est complet, sauf une table pour deux.
The restaurant is full, except for a table for two.
Se confunde a menudo con
While 'sauf' is a preposition, 'sauf que' is a conjunction meaning 'except that' or 'only that', introducing a clause.
A more formal phrase with the same meaning as 'sauf'. You'll hear 'sauf' more often in everyday conversation.
A past participle used as a preposition, meaning 'except for'. It's largely interchangeable with 'sauf' but can sometimes feel a bit more formal.
Fácil de confundir
Sounds similar to 'more' in English, but it means 'but'.
'Mais' introduces a contrast or an exception, similar to 'but' in English. It does not relate to quantity.
Il fait beau, mais il fait froid. (It's nice weather, but it's cold.)
Looks like 'ou' as in 'ouch' in English, but it means 'or'.
'Ou' is a conjunction meaning 'or', used to present alternatives. Do not confuse it with 'où' (with an accent), which means 'where'.
Tu veux du thé ou du café? (Do you want tea or coffee?)
Can be confused with 'do' in English, but it means 'some' or 'of the'.
'Du' is a partitive article (meaning 'some' or 'any') or a contracted article (meaning 'of the' or 'from the'). It indicates an unspecified quantity or possession.
Je voudrais du pain. (I would like some bread.) / C'est le livre du professeur. (It's the teacher's book.)
Often confused with 'here' or 'there', but 'y' is a pronoun that replaces a place or an idea introduced by 'à'.
'Y' means 'there' or 'to it/them' and replaces a prepositional phrase indicating a place or an abstract concept. It doesn't directly translate to 'here'.
Je vais à Paris. J'y vais demain. (I'm going to Paris. I'm going there tomorrow.)
Can mean 'in', 'on', 'of them', or 'some', making it versatile and potentially confusing.
'En' is a preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'by', and also a pronoun meaning 'some', 'any', or 'of them/it'. Its meaning depends heavily on context.
Je vais en France. (I'm going to France.) / J'ai trois pommes. J'en mange une. (I have three apples. I'm eating one of them.)
Familia de palabras
Sustantivos
Adjetivos
Practica en la vida real
Contextos reales
Talking about exceptions to plans or activities.
- Je travaille tous les jours sauf le dimanche.
- Nous irons tous au cinéma sauf toi.
- Tout est prêt sauf le dessert.
Discussing things that are generally true, with one exclusion.
- Tous les magasins sont ouverts sauf un.
- J'aime tous les fruits sauf les bananes.
- Il a tout mangé sauf le pain.
Referring to a specific time exception.
- Elle est toujours à l'heure sauf aujourd'hui.
- Le bureau est ouvert tous les jours sauf les jours fériés.
- Je suis libre toute la semaine sauf mardi.
Making general statements with a single exception.
- Tout le monde est d'accord sauf moi.
- Il n'y a personne sauf nous.
- La maison est vide sauf la cuisine.
When listing items and excluding one.
- J'ai acheté tous les ingrédients sauf le sel.
- Elle a lu tous les livres sauf le dernier.
- Nous avons visité toutes les villes sauf Paris.
Inicios de conversación
"Qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire tous les jours, sauf le lundi ?"
"Y a-t-il quelque chose que vous mangez tous les jours, sauf un ?"
"Qu'est-ce que vous faites le week-end, sauf dormir ?"
"Où aimeriez-vous voyager, sauf dans votre pays ?"
"Qui connaissez-vous qui aime tout, sauf une chose en particulier ?"
Temas para diario
Décrivez une journée typique où tout s'est bien passé sauf une petite chose. Qu'est-ce que c'était et comment avez-vous réagi ?
Pensez à un moment où tout le monde était d'accord sur quelque chose, sauf vous. Comment vous êtes-vous senti(e) et pourquoi n'étiez-vous pas d'accord ?
Listez vos activités préférées pour la semaine, en mentionnant une que vous ne faites jamais, sauf dans des cas exceptionnels. Expliquez pourquoi.
Écrivez sur un repas que vous aimez beaucoup, en précisant un ingrédient que vous retirez toujours, sauf si vous êtes très faim. Pourquoi ?
Imaginez que vous pouvez visiter n'importe quel endroit du monde, sauf votre ville natale. Où iriez-vous et pourquoi ?
Ponte a prueba 66 preguntas
J'aime tous les fruits ___ les oranges.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'I like all fruits except for oranges.'
Tout le monde est là ___ Paul.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'Everyone is here except for Paul.'
Je mange tout ___ le poisson.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'I eat everything except for fish.'
Il travaille tous les jours ___ le dimanche.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'He works every day except for Sunday.'
Nous aimons tous les animaux ___ les serpents.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'We like all animals except for snakes.'
Elles parlent toutes français ___ Marie.
'sauf' means 'except for'. So, 'They all speak French except for Marie.'
Listen for what fruits are good, except for which ones.
Listen for what the speaker eats, except for one item.
Listen for who is there, except for one person.
Read this aloud:
J'aime tous les animaux, sauf les araignées.
Focus: sauf
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
Nous allons partout, sauf à la piscine.
Focus: sauf à
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
Elle a tout vu, sauf la tour Eiffel.
Focus: sauf la
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'I like all fruits except for bananas.' 'Sauf' indicates the exclusion.
This sentence means 'Everyone is here except for Marie.' 'Sauf' is used to exclude someone from a group.
This sentence means 'He works every day except Sunday.' 'Sauf' indicates the day of the week that is an exception.
Tout le monde est là ___ Paul.
The sentence means 'Everyone is here except for Paul.' 'Sauf' is the correct word for 'except for'.
Je mange de tout ___ les oignons.
The sentence means 'I eat everything except for onions.' 'Sauf' is used to indicate an exception.
Nous avons visité toutes les villes ___ Paris.
The sentence means 'We visited all the cities except for Paris.' 'Sauf' introduces the exception.
Elle aime tous les fruits ___ les bananes.
The sentence means 'She likes all fruits except for bananas.' 'Sauf' is the preposition for 'except for'.
Les magasins sont ouverts tous les jours ___ le dimanche.
The sentence means 'The shops are open every day except for Sunday.' 'Sauf' specifies the day that is an exception.
Il a tout fait ___ la vaisselle.
The sentence means 'He did everything except for the dishes.' 'Sauf' indicates what was not done.
Choose the sentence where "sauf" is used correctly to mean "except for."
In this sentence, 'sauf les bananes' clearly indicates that bananas are the only exception to liking all fruits.
Which option best completes the sentence: "Elle travaille tous les jours, ___ le dimanche."
'Sauf le dimanche' means 'except for Sunday', indicating that Sunday is the only day she doesn't work.
In which sentence does "sauf" convey the meaning of exclusion?
Here, 'sauf les boissons' specifies that everything was bought with the exclusion of drinks.
The sentence "Tout le monde est venu, sauf Pierre." means that Pierre was present.
'Sauf Pierre' means 'except for Pierre', indicating that Pierre was not among those who came.
In "Je mange tout, sauf les légumes.", the speaker eats vegetables.
'Sauf les légumes' means 'except for vegetables', so the speaker does not eat vegetables.
The phrase "sauf indication contraire" implies there might be a different instruction.
'Sauf indication contraire' translates to 'unless otherwise indicated', meaning a different instruction could exist.
This sentence means 'All the animals are sleeping except the cat.' The word 'sauf' introduces the exception.
This sentence means 'I forgot everything except to buy milk.' 'Sauf' is used to highlight the one thing that wasn't forgotten.
This sentence means 'We can leave except for the rain.' 'Sauf' indicates the condition that would prevent them from leaving.
Tout le monde est venu à la fête ___ Pierre.
The word 'sauf' means 'except for' or 'apart from'. In this sentence, it indicates that everyone came to the party, with the exception of Pierre.
J'aime tous les fruits ___ les bananes.
Here, 'sauf' is used to specify an exception to the general statement that I like all fruits. So, I like all fruits except for bananas.
Il travaille tous les jours ___ le dimanche.
The sentence states that he works every day, and 'sauf' indicates that Sunday is the exception.
Nous avons tout rangé ___ les livres.
'Sauf' is used here to show that everything was put away, but the books were an exception.
Elle a invité tout le monde ___ sa cousine.
The sentence implies that she invited everyone, with the exception of her cousin. 'Sauf' fits this meaning.
Les magasins sont ouverts tous les jours ___ les jours fériés.
This sentence means that the stores are open every day, except for public holidays. 'Sauf' expresses this exception.
Choose the best translation for: Tout le monde est venu, sauf Pierre.
The word 'sauf' means 'except for' or 'apart from'.
Which sentence correctly uses 'sauf'?
'Sauf' indicates an exclusion, meaning 'except for'.
Complete the sentence: Nous pouvons partir ___ si tu veux rester.
In this context, 'sauf' means 'except' or 'unless'.
The sentence 'J'aime tous les fruits sauf les bananes' means 'I like all fruits including bananas.'
The sentence means 'I like all fruits except for bananas,' as 'sauf' indicates an exclusion.
You can use 'sauf' to introduce an exception to a general statement.
'Sauf' is commonly used to introduce an exception, meaning 'except for' or 'apart from'.
In the phrase 'sauf que', 'que' is always followed by a question.
In the phrase 'sauf que', 'que' is typically followed by a clause, meaning 'except that' or 'only that'.
This sentence means 'All the shops are closed except for the supermarket.' 'sauf' introduces the exception.
This sentence means 'I like all fruits except for bananas.' 'sauf' indicates the one fruit that is not liked.
This sentence means 'He ate everything except for the vegetables.' 'sauf' specifies what was left uneaten.
This sentence means 'Everyone was there except for him.' 'Sauf' functions as a preposition here.
This sentence translates to 'I ate nothing except for an apple.' 'Sauf' indicates an exception to the 'rien mangé'.
This means 'She speaks all languages except Chinese.' 'Sauf' specifies the one language she doesn't speak.
Tous les participants, ___ un seul, ont adhéré au protocole d'accord sans réserve.
The word 'hormis' is a synonym for 'sauf' and fits the context of 'all but one'.
Le rapport est complet, ___ les annexes qui sont encore en cours de finalisation.
'Excepté' is a perfect synonym for 'sauf' when indicating something is excluded.
Chaque décision fut prise à l'unanimité, ___ une, qui nécessita un vote majoritaire.
'Sauf' is the most direct and common way to express 'except for' in this context.
La procédure est irréfutable, ___ dans les cas où une erreur humaine est avérée.
'Nonobstant' is a more formal synonym for 'sauf' in the sense of 'notwithstanding' or 'except for'.
L'ensemble des clauses fut accepté, ___ la dixième, jugée trop contraignante par certains membres.
'Excepté' correctly indicates the exclusion of the tenth clause.
Tous les ouvrages de cette collection sont des chefs-d'œuvre, ___ peut-être le premier tome.
'Sauf' clearly denotes that the first volume might be an exception to the rule.
/ 66 correct
Perfect score!
Contenido relacionado
Más palabras de general
à cause de
A2Because of; on account of (a neutral or negative cause).
à côté
A2Next to; beside.
à côté de
A2Next to, beside.
À droite
A2To the right; on the right side.
À gauche
A2To the left; on the left side.
à la
A2To the (feminine singular), indicates direction or location.
à laquelle
B2To which; at which (feminine singular).
à mesure que
B2As; while; in proportion as.
abrégé
B1An abstract, summary, or abridgment.
absence
A2The state of being away from a place or person.
