voir
/vwaʁ/
To see in French is voir.
The verb voir is used to describe the physical act of perceiving something with the eyes.
Which one should you use?
While voir refers to the physical ability or act of seeing, you should use regarder when you mean the intentional act of looking at or watching something. If you want to emphasize closely examining or observing, use observer. For the act of contemplating, admiring or taking in beauty, use contempler. Finally, use guetter if you mean to watch out or be on the lookout for something.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of voir is vu. In the present tense, the first-person plural conjugation is voyons (often used to mean 'let's see') and the second-person plural conjugation is voyez.
How do you pronounce it?
/vwaʁ/
Did you know?
- The French word voir is a distant relative of the English word 'wit' and the Greek 'idea'. All three descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *weyd-, which meant 'to see' or 'to know'.
- In France, the expression on verra literally means 'one will see' but is often used to vaguely postpone a decision or politely avoid giving a direct 'no'.
- The French verb voyons, often used to mean 'let us see', can also be used as an exclamation to express doubt or a desire to reconsider a situation.
Examples in context
- Tu veux voir ?Do you want to see?This is useful for asking if someone wants to see.Tatoeba #6096454 by Blabla, translation #2011395 by CK
- Il va voir Dan.He's going to see Dan.This shows how to express going to see someone.Tatoeba #4070008 by Amastan, translation #14031146 by Jat01
- Je veux te voir.I want to see you.This demonstrates how to say you want to see someone.Tatoeba #6614 by sysko, translation #257078 by CK
- Je vois un oiseau dans le ciel.I see a bird in the sky.
- Il observe attentivement les étoiles.He is observing the stars carefully.
- Nous contemplons le magnifique coucher de soleil.We are contemplating the magnificent sunset.
- Elle regarde un film intéressant.She is watching an interesting movie.
- On a maté une série toute la nuit.We watched a series all night long.
- 1423 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are looking at a distant mountain.
- ManonLucas, est-ce que tu peux voir la montagne ?Lucas, can you see the mountain?
- LucasOui, je la vois très bien.Yes, I see it very clearly.
- ManonElle est magnifique, n'est-ce pas ?It is magnificent, isn't it?
- LucasOui, c'est un beau spectacle.Yes, it is a beautiful sight.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
