Signification
Soup that contains a lot of salt.
Contexte culturel
Soup is the 'queen' of the Hungarian table. A meal without soup is often considered incomplete, especially on Sundays. Salt mines like Praid (Parajd) are famous here. Salt was historically so important that it influenced many idioms. The 'salty food = in love' trope is shared across Hungary, Austria, and Germany, reflecting a shared culinary heritage. In villages, oversalting was sometimes seen as a sign of a 'clumsy' bride, which the 'in love' joke kindly covers up.
The Potato Trick
If you actually make a 'sós leves', Hungarians will tell you to boil a whole potato in it to soak up the salt.
Sós vs Só
Don't forget the 's'! 'Só leves' sounds like 'Salt soup' (a bowl of salt), which is not what you want to order.
Signification
Soup that contains a lot of salt.
The Potato Trick
If you actually make a 'sós leves', Hungarians will tell you to boil a whole potato in it to soak up the salt.
Sós vs Só
Don't forget the 's'! 'Só leves' sounds like 'Salt soup' (a bowl of salt), which is not what you want to order.
Smile when you say it
The 'in love' joke is all about the delivery. Use a playful tone so people know you're not actually angry about the salt.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing adjective to describe the salty soup.
Ez a leves nagyon ____. Biztos szerelmes vagy!
The context of being 'in love' (szerelmes) points to the soup being 'sós' (salty).
Which sentence is the correct way to say 'The soup is salty'?
Válaszd ki a helyes mondatot!
In a descriptive sentence, 'Sós a leves' (Salty is the soup) is the standard neutral/informal word order.
Complete the dialogue with the appropriate cultural joke.
Péter: Hú, ez a leves nagyon sós lett! Anna: Tényleg? Akkor én biztos _________ vagyok!
The traditional Hungarian joke is that if the soup is salty, the cook is 'szerelmes' (in love).
Match the phrase to the situation.
Match 'Sós a leves, szerelmes a szakács!' to the best context.
This is an informal, playful idiom best used with friends.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesEz a leves nagyon ____. Biztos szerelmes vagy!
The context of being 'in love' (szerelmes) points to the soup being 'sós' (salty).
Válaszd ki a helyes mondatot!
In a descriptive sentence, 'Sós a leves' (Salty is the soup) is the standard neutral/informal word order.
Péter: Hú, ez a leves nagyon sós lett! Anna: Tényleg? Akkor én biztos _________ vagyok!
The traditional Hungarian joke is that if the soup is salty, the cook is 'szerelmes' (in love).
Match 'Sós a leves, szerelmes a szakács!' to the best context.
This is an informal, playful idiom best used with friends.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsUsually, yes. It implies the soup is *too* salty. If it's just normally seasoned, you wouldn't call it 'sós leves'.
Yes! The 'in love' joke works for any oversalted dish, but soup is the most traditional example.
A 'sótlan leves' (saltless/bland soup).
Yes, it's a very persistent part of Hungarian culture and is still used frequently.
No. 'Sós' comes from 'só' (salt), while 'sauce' comes from Latin 'salsa' (salty). They share a very distant root but arrived in the languages differently.
You can say 'nagyon sós' or 'túl sós'.
No, it's a description, not a recipe name.
Say 'Elnézést, ez a leves túl sós.' (Excuse me, this soup is too salty.)
Hungarian uses 'leves'. 'Szup' is not a word in Hungarian.
No, in Hungarian 'sós' is strictly about salt flavor.
Expressions liées
elsózza a levest
similarTo oversalt the soup (often used figuratively to ruin something).
borsos ár
builds onPeppery price (very expensive).
édes leves
contrastSweet soup (usually fruit soup).
sótlan
contrastSaltless / Bland.
szerelmes szakács
specialized formThe cook in love.
