tours
/tuʁ/
The English phrase 'laps' is translated into French as tours.
In French, tours refers to one complete circuit of a track or a swimming pool.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is tours, while the singular form for a single lap is tour.
How do you pronounce it?
/tuʁ/
Did you know?
- The word tour is a homonym for 'tricks' or 'stunts', as in 'tour de magie'. This means a 'lap' in a race and a 'magic trick' are written identically.
- In French, the word tours can also mean 'towers' or 'turns', depending on the context. You must rely on the surrounding words to know if someone is discussing a race or architecture.
- The world's most famous cycling race, the 'Tour de France', uses this word because the race is essentially one giant tour or circuit of the country.
Examples in context
- Tu as couru combien de tours ?How many laps did you run?This sentence is useful for asking how many tours someone ran.Tatoeba #10720964 by lbdx, translation #6891922 by Eccles17
- L'entraîneur nous a fait courir trois tours supplémentaires.The coach made us run three extra laps.This sentence is useful for describing a coach requiring extra tours.Tatoeba #8437599 by lbdx, translation #6533503 by Hybrid
- Il a couru un tour de pisteHe ran a lap around the track
- Je vais faire quelques tours de pisteI'm going to do a few laps around the track
- Hier, j'ai fait cinq tours de piste en courant autour du parc.Yesterday, I did five laps running around the park.
- Il a terminé ses dix tours de piscine.He finished his ten laps in the pool.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are at the local swimming pool.
- ManonCombien de tours as-tu faits aujourd'hui, Nathan ?How many laps did you do today, Nathan?
- NathanJ'ai fait vingt tours au total.I did twenty laps in total.
- ManonC'est impressionnant, moi je n'en ai fait que cinq.That's impressive, I only did five.
- NathanTu progresses vite, Manon !You are progressing fast, Manon!
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry Tours.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
