voir
/vwaʁ/
The English verb "see" is translated into French as voir.
voir is used to mean perceiving with the eyes. It can also be used in phrases to express uncertainty, such as on va voir, which means "we'll see".
Meaning: perceive with the eyes (verb)
Which one should you use?
While voir means to perceive with the eyes (to see), the verb regarder means to direct your gaze toward something (to look at or watch).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of voir is vu. The first-person plural imperative form voyons is often used as an interjection meaning "let's see" or "come now" to express surprise or hesitation.
How do you pronounce it?
/vwaʁ/
Did you know?
- The French word voir is an ancient relative of the English word 'wit'. Both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *weyd-, which connects the act of seeing to the act of knowing.
- The expression voir rouge means 'to see red', which in French specifically describes a state of sudden, uncontrollable anger, mirroring the English idiom perfectly.
- The French verb voir has several regional cousins throughout France, such as the Norman veî and the Occitan veire.
Examples in context
- Tu veux voir ?Do you want to see?Tatoeba #6096454 by Blabla, translation #2011395 by CK
- Il va voir Dan.He's going to see Dan.Tatoeba #4070008 by Amastan, translation #14031146 by Jat01
- Je veux te voir.I want to see you.Tatoeba #6614 by sysko, translation #257078 by CK
- 2262 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are looking at a distant landscape.
- LéaHugo, est-ce que tu peux voir le château ?Hugo, can you see the castle?
- HugoNon, je ne peux pas voir grand-chose.No, I can't see much.
- LéaRegarde bien, on peut voir la tour.Look closely, we can see the tower.
- HugoAh oui, maintenant je vois la tour !Ah yes, now I see the tower!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see” translations and entries voir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries voir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
