voyageur
/vwa.ja.ʒœʁ/
The English word "traveler" is translated into French as voyageur.
The term refers to a person who is going on a trip or traveling.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the person and the action: voyageur refers to the person traveling, whereas the word voyage refers to the trip itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular is voyageur and the masculine plural is voyageurs. For females, the singular form is voyageuse and the feminine plural form is voyageuses.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /vwa.ja.ʒœʁ/.
Did you know?
- In North American history, voyageur refers to a specific profession of French-Canadian canoeists who transported furs for the fur trade in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- While voyageur is the standard term, French often uses touriste for leisure travel, and using voyageur can imply a more profound, life-changing, or long-term journey.
- The word voyageur is a cognate of the English word 'way' through their shared distant ancestor in the Proto-Indo-European root *weyh₁-.
Examples in context
- Le voyageur arriva enfin à destination.The traveler reached his destination at last.This sentence is useful for showing the arrival of the voyageur at a destination.Tatoeba #12460926 by lbdx, translation #325598 by CM
- Une meute de loups a attaqué le voyageur.A pack of wolves attacked the traveler.This sentence shows the voyageur being attacked by wolves.Tatoeba #11330521 by lbdx, translation #2796768 by sharptoothed
- Le voyageur vit une lumière au loin et se réjouit.The traveler saw a light from afar and rejoiced.This sentence depicts the voyageur seeing a light in the distance.Tatoeba #1335177 by sacredceltic, translation #5075504 by jhomel
- Les voyageurs aiment découvrir de nouveaux horizonsTravelers enjoy exploring new horizons
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are talking about a man they saw at the train station.
- ChloéCe voyageur a l'air très fatigué.That traveler looks very tired.
- NathanOui, il a beaucoup de bagages.Yes, he has a lot of luggage.
- ChloéC'est un voyageur solitaire, je pense.He is a solo traveler, I think.
- NathanPeut-être qu'il vient de loin.Maybe he comes from far away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry voyageur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries voyageur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
