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Sol or terre: picture vocabulary for floors, soil, land and Earth

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Name the floor under your feet, soil in a pot and Earth as a planet. Explore sol and terre through pictures, phrase groups and a short quiz.

In short

Le sol is the surface under your feet: a floor, the ground or soil. La terre is earth or soil as material, and also land; la Terre names the planet. Learn par terre as a phrase: it can mean “on the floor” indoors.

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An overturned plant pot has spilled soil onto a tiled floor.
There is de la terre sur le sol. Illustration: Atelier

From the floor to the planet

Under your feet

le sol de la cuisinem.the kitchen floorJe lave le sol de la cuisine.
au solon the ground / floorLe sac est posé au sol.
par terreon the floor / groundMon crayon est tombé par terre.

Soil as material

de la terref.some soil / earthJ’ajoute de la terre dans le pot.
le sol du jardinm.the garden soil / groundLe sol du jardin est humide.
une motte de terref.a clod of earthJe casse les mottes de terre avec la pelle.

Land and the planet

la terre fermef.dry landAprès la traversée, nous retrouvons la terre ferme.
à terreashoreLes passagers descendent à terre.
la Terref.EarthLa Terre tourne autour du Soleil.

What is the difference between sol and terre?

Dans la cuisine
  1. Nora

    Oh non ! Le pot est tombé par terre.

    Oh no! The pot fell on the floor.

  2. Sam

    Il y a de la terre sur le sol.

    There is soil on the floor.

  3. Nora

    Je ramasse la terre, puis je nettoie le sol.

    I’ll pick up the soil, then clean the floor.

The same sentence can contain both words: de la terre sur le sol. Terre names the loose material; sol names the surface beneath it. In the garden, the meanings overlap: le sol du jardin and la terre du jardin can both refer to soil. The capital letter marks the planet in la Terre.

Question 1No account needed
What is on the floor?Il y a de la terre sur le sol de la cuisine.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Loose soil.. De la terre names soil as material. Le sol is the floor in this kitchen scene.

Question 2No account needed
Can this happen inside a classroom?Le crayon tombe par terre.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Yes, *par terre* can mean on the floor.. Par terre is used for the floor indoors as well as the ground outdoors.

Question 3No account needed
Which sentence names the planet?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

La Terre tourne autour du Soleil.. Capitalised la Terre names Earth, the planet orbiting the Sun.

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