courir
/ku.ʁiʁ/
The English word 'running' can be expressed in French as courir.
courir is the verb 'to run'. While it describes the physical action, French speakers often use the idiomatic phrase faire de la course à pied to express the hobby or activity of 'going running' or jogging.
Meaning: sport (noun)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the action and the sport: courir is the verb 'to run', whereas the noun for the sport or the activity of running is la course.
How does it change in a sentence?
As the infinitive form of the verb, courir is used following other verbs, such as aimer (to love) or arrêter de (to stop).
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of two syllables: /ku.ʁiʁ/.
Did you know?
- The term course is also used in the phrase faire les courses, which means 'to go grocery shopping'.
- French has a specific term le footing borrowed from English to describe jogging. While la course à pied is the formal name for the sport, faire du footing is very common in casual conversation.
- The word courir shares the same Latin root as the English word 'current', which refers to the flow of water or electricity.
Examples in context
- Je l’ai vu courir.I saw him running.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use courir after another verb.Tatoeba #130016 by zmoo, translation #283975 by CK
- Arrête de courir !Stop running!This sentence shows how to use courir after the phrase 'arrêter de'.Tatoeba #5760408 by Yemana, translation #5672008 by Catriona
- Si on allait courir ?How about running?This sentence shows how to use courir in a suggestion.Tatoeba #935837 by U2FS, translation #274288 by Zifre
- Les participants ont couru rapidement durant la compétition.The participants ran quickly during the competition.
- Je fais de la course à pied tous les matins.I go for a run every morning.
- J'ai couru comme un dératé pour attraper le bus.I ran like crazy to catch the bus.
- Je vais faire du jogging dans le parc cet après-midi.I'm going for a run in the park this afternoon.
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing their favorite hobbies.
- GabrielQu'est-ce que tu aimes faire pour le sport ?What do you like to do for sport?
- ChloéJ'adore courir le matin avant le travail.I love running in the morning before work.
- GabrielMoi aussi, je préfère courir en forêt.Me too, I prefer running in the forest.
- ChloéOn pourrait courir ensemble samedi prochain.We could go running together next Saturday.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry courir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries courir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
