vers
/vɛʁ/
The English word 'around' can be translated into French as vers or autour de depending on the context.
Meaning: near (prep)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| vers | /vɛʁ/ /vɛʁ.z‿/ |
| autour de |
Use autour de to describe something that surrounds an object or is located in the vicinity of a specific point.
Which one should you use?
Vers is used when referring to a direction or an approximate time, such as 'towards' or 'about'. In contrast, autour de is used for physical encirclement or being in the vicinity of a point.
How do you pronounce it?
/vɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The word vers is also a homonym for the French word for 'worm' and the word for a 'verse' of poetry.
- In French, if you use vers to describe a time, such as 'around 5 o'clock', you are technically saying you are moving 'towards' that hour.
- The word autour contains a hidden sense of 'turn', as it is built from the components 'au' and 'tour', literally meaning 'at the turn'.
Examples in context
- Regarde autour de toi.Look around you.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of autour de.Tatoeba #1293485 by sacredceltic, translation #1129728 by CK
- Regardez autour de toi.Take a look around you.Tatoeba #7862786 by Aiji, translation #3519319 by CK
- Regardez autour de vous.Look around.Tatoeba #1293486 by sacredceltic, translation #1271905 by Lich
- Il y a beaucoup de boutiques près de l'hôtel.There are many shops around the hotel.
- Le musée se trouve aux alentours du jardin public.The museum is located around the public garden.
- Il y a de belles plages dans les environs de cette ville.There are beautiful beaches around this town.
- On se retrouve vers 18 heures ?Shall we meet around 6 p.m.?
- Il fait froid aux alentours de Paris.It's cold around Paris.
- Il y a un supermarché près d'ici où nous pouvons faire nos courses.There's a supermarket around here where we can do our shopping.
- Je suis né dans le coin.I was born around here.
- 208 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are looking for a specific shop in the city.
- ChloéOù est la boulangerie ?Where is the bakery?
- GabrielElle est vers le grand parc.It is around the big park.
- ChloéC'est loin d'ici ?Is it far from here?
- GabrielNon, c'est juste vers le coin.No, it's just around the corner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “around” translations and entries vers, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
