sur/syʁ/
preposition / adjective · A1 · Frequency 87
preposition
Meanings
on, upon, on top of, above
Indicates spatial relation, covering meanings such as 'on', 'on top of', and 'above'.
out of (indicating proportion)
Used to indicate proportion, e.g., 'sur cent' means 'out of one hundred'.
in the case of
Used to introduce a condition or situation.
about, concerning
Used to indicate the subject or content involved.
in (a place) (informal usage)
Indicates location in informal contexts.
Examples
Le livre est posé sur la table.
The book is lying on the table.
Quatre candidats sur dix ont réussi l'examen.
Four out of ten candidates passed the exam.
Sur une panne de réseau, le système passe automatiquement en mode secours.
In the event of a network failure, the system automatically switches to backup mode.
Nous avons eu une longue discussion sur le budget du projet.
We had a long discussion about the project budget.
Collocations
- sur la tableon the table
- un livre sur l'histoirea book about history
- sur demandeupon request
Common mistakes
sur le table
sur la table
After the preposition “sur”, the correct article for the feminine noun “table” is “la”, not “le”.
parler sur un sujet
parler de un sujet
The preposition “sur” is not used to mean “talk about a topic”; “de” should be used instead.
Related words
adjectivemasculine
Meanings
sour
Used as an adjective to describe food or drink that tastes sour.
Examples
Ce vin est trop sur pour être servi avec ce dessert.
This wine is too sour to be served with this dessert.
Le cidre devient sur quand il a trop longtemps fermenté.
Cider becomes sour when it has fermented for too long.
Le jus de pomme avait un goût sur et peu agréable.
The apple juice had a sour and unpleasant taste.
Collocations
- un vin sura sour wine
Common mistakes
un goût sur
un goût sûr
The adjective “sur” and the adverb “sûr” sound similar and are often confused; the correct adjective for sour taste is “sur”.
Related words
antonymdouxsweet
synonymaigresharp, sour, acid