voler
/vɔ.le/
To fly in French is voler.
The verb voler is used to describe the action of moving through the air using wings or an aircraft. It is important to note that voler is a homonym. Depending on the context, it can also mean 'to steal'.
Which one should you use?
Because voler can mean both 'to fly' and 'to steal', you must look at the surrounding context of the sentence to determine which meaning is intended.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the first and third person singular forms are conjugated as vole.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /vɔ.le/.
Did you know?
- The phrase voler bas literally means 'to fly low', but when used to describe a person, it suggests they are behaving in a dishonorable or 'low' way.
- The French word for 'to steal' used to be rober, which is the ancestor of the English word 'rob'. Over time, the word voler completely replaced it in common usage.
- French has a specific noun vol that covers both a 'flight' and a 'theft'. This means a police report and a flight itinerary could use the same word to describe their main subject.
Examples in context
- Es-tu prêt à voler ?Are you ready to fly?Tatoeba #4636129 by sacredceltic, translation #1216885 by CM
- Il est capable de voler.He is able to fly.Tatoeba #133030 by Whidou, translation #4550890 by Whidou
- Je volerai vers la Lune.I'm going to fly to the moon.Tatoeba #1802642 by sacredceltic, translation #321797 by CM
- Les oiseaux volent dans le ciel.Birds fly in the sky.
- L'avion vole à haute altitude.The plane flies at high altitude.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are at an airport watching planes.
- GabrielRegarde, l'avion peut voler très haut.Look, the plane can fly very high.
- LéaC'est impressionnant de voir voler ces oiseaux aussi.It is impressive to see those birds flying too.
- GabrielJe voudrais voler dans un avion demain.I would like to fly in a plane tomorrow.
- LéaMoi aussi, Gabriel, j'adore l'idée de voler.Me too, Gabriel, I love the idea of flying.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
