What does sous mean in French?

Under or beneath, in the physical sense (sous la table, sous l'eau) and in the sense of being subject to something (sous pression, sous surveillance, sous les ordres de quelqu'un). It also means in for weather: sous la pluie.

Why is it sous la pluie and not dans la pluie?

Because French pictures rain as falling from above, so you are underneath it rather than inside it. The same logic gives sous la neige and sous le soleil, where English switches to in.

How do I say under twenty euros in French?

Moins de vingt euros. Sous cannot express a quantity below a limit; it is positional only. The same applies to ages and speeds: moins de dix-huit ans, moins de cinquante kilomètres à l'heure.

What's the difference between sous and au-dessous de?

Sous suggests contact or cover: sous la couverture, under the blanket. Au-dessous de simply means at a lower level, with no contact implied: l'appartement au-dessous du mien, the flat below mine.

What does the prefix sous- mean?

Either physically below (sous-sol, sous-marin, sous-vêtements) or not enough (sous-estimer, sous-payé, sous-alimenté). Most of these compounds keep the hyphen, and they behave like ordinary nouns, adjectives or verbs.

French grammar · Beginner

Sous in French: Under, Beneath, and Subject To

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Sous means under or beneath: sous la table, sous l'eau, sous la pluie. It also covers being subject to something, as in sous pression or sous contrôle, and it forms a large family of compounds such as sous-sol and sous-titres.

Le chat dort sous le lit, à l'abri du bruit.

The cat is asleep under the bed, out of reach of the noise.

What it is

Sous puts one thing lower than another, usually with the upper thing covering or sheltering it. From that basic picture French builds a set of abstract uses in which whatever is above exerts authority, pressure or influence: sous la direction de, sous pression, sous surveillance.

Sous la pluie, sous un parapluie, sous les ordres du capitaine. — In the rain, under an umbrella, under the captain's orders.

How to spot it

Ask whether the second thing is above the first, physically or figuratively. If it is, sous is the preposition.

sous la table — under the table
sous l'eau — underwater
sous la neige — in the snow, covered in snow
sous pression — under pressure

Sous never contracts: sous le pont, sous la mer, sous les arbres all stay written out in full.

Sous Preposition Quick Reference

The main uses of sous

Use	English	Example
Physical position	under, beneath	sous le canapé — under the sofa
Covered by	under, in	sous la couverture — under the blanket
Weather	in	sous la pluie — in the rain
Authority	under	sous ses ordres — under his command
A state or condition	under, on	sous antibiotiques — on antibiotics
Historical period	under, during	sous Louis XIV — under Louis XIV
Deadline	within	sous huit jours — within a week

Common Sous Preposition Examples in French

Sous from the literal to the abstract:

Physically Underneath

Tes chaussures sont sous le lit.: Your shoes are under the bed.
Il a glissé la lettre sous la porte.: He slipped the letter under the door.
Elle nage sous l'eau sans respirer.: She swims underwater without breathing.
Le tunnel passe sous la rivière.: The tunnel runs under the river.

For a level below rather than direct contact, French prefers au-dessous de or en dessous de: l'appartement au-dessous du mien.

Weather and Shelter

Nous avons attendu sous la pluie.: We waited in the rain.
Ils déjeunent sous les arbres.: They're having lunch under the trees.
Ne reste pas sous ce soleil.: Don't stay out in this sun.
Viens sous mon parapluie.: Come under my umbrella.

English switches to in for weather (in the rain), while French keeps the image of something falling from above.

Authority and Influence

Elle travaille sous les ordres du directeur.: She works under the director.
L'orchestre joue sous la direction d'une jeune cheffe.: The orchestra is playing under a young conductor.
Le bâtiment est sous surveillance.: The building is under surveillance.
Il a agi sous la menace.: He acted under threat.

Whatever is above in these phrases holds the power, which is the same metaphor English uses.

States and Conditions

Je suis sous pression en ce moment.: I'm under pressure at the moment.
Tout est sous contrôle.: Everything is under control.
Elle est encore sous traitement.: She's still on medication.
Il a signé sous serment.: He signed under oath.

These are best learnt as blocks. Sous is not predictable here, and English sometimes uses on rather than under.

How Sous Behaves

A short preposition with a wide reach: five patterns cover almost everything it does.

It Implies Cover, Not Just a Lower Position

Sous suggests the upper thing is over the lower one, sheltering or hiding it. For something merely at a lower level, French uses au-dessous de or en bas de instead.

Le courrier est sous le journal.

The post is under the newspaper.

Something on top → sous.

It Takes No Contraction

Only à and de merge with the article. Sous stands unchanged before le, la, l' and les, which makes it one of the simplest prepositions to write.

Ils se sont abrités sous les arcades.

They took shelter under the arcades.

sous le, sous la, sous les.

The Abstract Uses Drop the Article

In fixed expressions of state, sous is followed by a bare noun: sous pression, sous contrôle, sous serment, sous condition. The missing article is a reliable sign that you are dealing with an idiom.

L'affaire est sous enquête.

The case is under investigation.

sous + bare noun = a state.

It Marks a Historical Period

With the name of a ruler or a regime, sous means during the reign of: sous Napoléon, sous la Révolution, sous l'Occupation. It is the standard formula in French history writing.

Ce château a été construit sous François Ier.

This castle was built in the reign of Francis I.

sous + ruler = during.

Sous- Is a Productive Prefix

As a prefix it means either physically below (sous-sol, sous-marin) or insufficiently (sous-estimer, sous-payé). Most compounds keep the hyphen.

Il a sous-estimé la difficulté du trajet.

He underestimated how difficult the journey would be.

sous- = under- or below.

Common Mistakes with Sous Preposition

Incorrect: Ce livre coûte sous vingt euros. — This book costs under twenty euros.

Correct: Ce livre coûte moins de vingt euros. — This book costs under twenty euros.

English under can mean less than, but French sous is only positional. A quantity below a threshold takes moins de.

Incorrect: Le bâtiment est sous construction. — The building is under construction.

Correct: Le bâtiment est en construction. — The building is under construction.

Ongoing processes take en in French: en construction, en travaux, en discussion. Sous is used for constraint, not for activity in progress.

Incorrect: Nous avons marché dans la pluie. — We walked in the rain.

Correct: Nous avons marché sous la pluie. — We walked in the rain.

Rain, snow and sun come from above, so French treats them as something you are underneath. Dans la pluie would suggest being inside the rain as a substance.

Incorrect: Le village est sous la montagne. — The village is at the foot of the mountain.

Correct: Le village est au pied de la montagne. — The village is at the foot of the mountain.

Sous la montagne would put the village inside the rock. For the base of a slope, French says au pied de.

The Abstract Sous and the Sous- Family

Beyond position, sous carries meanings of pressure, condition and deadline that come up constantly in everyday and administrative French.

States and constraints

Sous plus a bare abstract noun describes a condition someone or something is in. The set is fairly closed, so it is worth meeting the members individually.

Elle est sous le choc.: She's in shock.
Le pays est sous embargo.: The country is under embargo.
Il a démissionné sous la pression de ses collègues.: He resigned under pressure from his colleagues.
Le document est disponible sous format PDF.: The document is available in PDF format.

Sous le choc keeps its article, while sous embargo drops it. There is no rule; the phrases are simply fixed.

Sous for deadlines and pretexts

Sous huit jours means within a week, and sous prétexte de means on the pretext of. Both belong to slightly formal French and appear often in letters.

Vous recevrez une réponse sous quinze jours.: You'll receive an answer within a fortnight.
Il est parti sous prétexte d'un rendez-vous.: He left on the pretext of an appointment.
Nous fermerons sous peu.: We'll be closing shortly.
Sous réserve de confirmation, la date est retenue.: Subject to confirmation, the date is fixed.

Sous peu means shortly and is a set adverbial phrase, with no noun following.

Compounds beginning with sous-

The prefix gives either a physical position below or an insufficient degree, which makes it very productive in ordinary vocabulary.

Le vélo est au sous-sol.: The bike is in the basement.
Je regarde les films avec les sous-titres.: I watch films with subtitles.
Ce service est sous-financé.: This department is underfunded.
Il y avait un sous-entendu dans sa remarque.: There was an implication in his remark.

Sous-marin can be a noun (a submarine) or an adjective (underwater), depending on the sentence.

Sous Preposition FAQs

What does sous mean in French?: Under or beneath, in the physical sense (sous la table, sous l'eau) and in the sense of being subject to something (sous pression, sous surveillance, sous les ordres de quelqu'un). It also means in for weather: sous la pluie.
Why is it sous la pluie and not dans la pluie?: Because French pictures rain as falling from above, so you are underneath it rather than inside it. The same logic gives sous la neige and sous le soleil, where English switches to in.
How do I say under twenty euros in French?: Moins de vingt euros. Sous cannot express a quantity below a limit; it is positional only. The same applies to ages and speeds: moins de dix-huit ans, moins de cinquante kilomètres à l'heure.
What's the difference between sous and au-dessous de?: Sous suggests contact or cover: sous la couverture, under the blanket. Au-dessous de simply means at a lower level, with no contact implied: l'appartement au-dessous du mien, the flat below mine.
What does the prefix sous- mean?: Either physically below (sous-sol, sous-marin, sous-vêtements) or not enough (sous-estimer, sous-payé, sous-alimenté). Most of these compounds keep the hyphen, and they behave like ordinary nouns, adjectives or verbs.