voler
/vɔ.le/
To steal in French is voler.
The verb voler means to illegally take possession of something. Note that depending on the context, voler can also mean 'to fly'. If you wish to describe stealing something discreetly or slyly, you might use subtiliser. The noun for the act of stealing is vol, while the phrase bonne affaire is used to describe merchandise available at a very attractive price.
Meaning: to illegally take possession of (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular present tense form is vole (steals or is stealing), and the past participle is volé (stolen). The phrase Je vole translates to 'I steal'.
How do you pronounce it?
/vɔ.le/
Did you know?
- In modern French, the old word for stealing, rober, has shifted meaning entirely and now refers to wrapping a cigar in a tobacco leaf.
- The noun vol can refer to both a 'theft' and a 'flight', meaning a sentence about a vol could be about a stolen jewel or a plane trip to Paris.
- The verb subtiliser suggests a level of skill or magic, often used when something vanishes as if by a sleight of hand.
Examples in context
- C'est mal de voler.It is not right to steal.This sentence is useful for expressing that stealing is wrong.Tatoeba #5378716 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #5378695 by mervert1
- La faim l'a poussé à voler.Hunger urged him to steal.This sentence shows how hunger might motivate someone to use voler.Tatoeba #15418 by Aiji, translation #295596 by rul
- Ils voulaient voler la voiture.They wanted to steal the car.This sentence illustrates using voler with a direct object like a car.Tatoeba #5704825 by Aiji, translation #4509403 by fekundulo
- Il ne faut jamais voler les biens des autres.One should never steal someone else's belongings.
- Le voleur a dérobé des bijoux précieux.The thief stole precious jewelry.
- Elle a subtilisé l'argent sans que personne ne s'en aperçoive.She stole the money without anyone noticing.
- Il a piqué le téléphone de son ami pour une blague.He swiped his friend's phone as a joke.
- Elle a chipé une bouchée de mon sandwich.She snatched a bite of my sandwich.
- Il a volé une voiture.He stole a car.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about a missing bicycle.
- NathanQuelqu'un a essayé de voler mon vélo !Someone tried to steal my bike!
- ChloéC'est terrible, Nathan. Tu as vu le voleur ?That's terrible, Nathan. Did you see the thief?
- NathanNon, mais je vais appeler la police.No, but I am going to call the police.
- ChloéC'est la bonne chose à faire.That is the right thing to do.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “steal” translations and entries voler, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries voler, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
