Is It a Couch or a Sofa?
2021-04-24
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1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Abid about something a lot of people have in their living rooms.
2Here is what he says:
3Hi, I have a question: What is the difference between "couch" and "sofa"?
4Hello Abid,
5In my living room, I have a long piece of furniture covered in cloth.
6Sometimes, I call it a "couch." Other times, I call it a "sofa."
7In the United States, the words "couch" and "sofa" are generally interchangeable.
8That means either word is used to describe this piece of furniture, which a person can sit or lie down on.
9A Google ngram of the two words tells us that, in the U.S. today, the words are about equally common, with "couch" being a little more popular.
10Historically, however, the meanings were different.
11The word "couch" comes from French word "coucher" and once meant a low, bed-like piece of furniture that did not have arms.
12And the word "sofa," which comes from Arabic, was something more like a bench with arms and a back.
13Today, the American public uses either word, whether or not the piece of furniture has arms.
14However, some people consider the word "couch" to be less formal than "sofa."
15And sofas might sound as though they are more costly and refined than couches.
16It is worth noting that some industries only use the word "sofa."
17That includes furniture designers, makers and sellers as well as home decorators.
18And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
19I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Abid about something a lot of people have in their living rooms. Here is what he says: 2Question: 3Hi, I have a question: What is the difference between "couch" and "sofa"? 4-Regards, Abid 5Answer: 6Hello Abid, 7In my living room, I have a long piece of furniture covered in cloth. Sometimes, I call it a "couch." Other times, I call it a "sofa." 8In the United States, the words "couch" and "sofa" are generally interchangeable. That means either word is used to describe this piece of furniture, which a person can sit or lie down on. 9A Google ngram of the two words tells us that, in the U.S. today, the words are about equally common, with "couch" being a little more popular. 10Historically, however, the meanings were different. The word "couch" comes from French word "coucher" and once meant a low, bed-like piece of furniture that did not have arms. And the word "sofa," which comes from Arabic, was something more like a bench with arms and a back. 11Today, the American public uses either word, whether or not the piece of furniture has arms. However, some people consider the word "couch" to be less formal than "sofa." And sofas might sound as though they are more costly and refined than couches. 12It is worth noting that some industries only use the word "sofa." That includes furniture designers, makers and sellers as well as home decorators. 13And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 14I'm Alice Bryant. 15Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 16Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section below. 17________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19furniture -n. things such as chairs, tables, beds which are used in rooms 20bench -n. a long hard seat for two or more people 21formal -adj. serious used in for more serious events rather than everyday common ones 22decorator -n. a person who decorates, or adds pleasant elements to something, especially as a job