tourner
/tuʁ.ne/
The English word 'turn' is translated into French as tourner.
Tourner is the most common and general way to say 'to turn' in French. It is a transitive verb used to describe changing the direction or orientation of something, often through rotation. It can be used to mean rotate or spin an object. For a general change of direction, you can also use the phrase changer de direction.
Meaning: transitive: change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation (verb)
Which one should you use?
While tourner is used for changing direction, such as a car turning, it also specifically carries the meaning to rotate or spin an object. If you are specifically referring to making a turn while driving, the expression faire un virage is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form tourner is a regular -er verb.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /tuʁ.ne/.
When do people say it?
The phrase tourner la page is used both literally to mean turning a page in a book and idiomatically to mean moving on from a past event or a chapter of life.
Did you know?
- In French cinema and television, the word tourner is the standard term for 'to film' or 'to shoot' a scene.
- When milk goes bad and becomes sour, the French use the verb tourner to describe the process.
- The expression tourner autour du pot means 'to beat around the bush' and literally translates to 'turning around the pot'.
Examples in context
- Veuillez tourner autour !Turn around, please.Tatoeba #2402006 by sacredceltic, translation #2401241 by CK
- Veuillez tourner la page.Please turn over the page.Tatoeba #2568752 by Rovo, translation #34028 by Objectivesea
- Veuillez tourner à droite.Please make a right turn.Tatoeba #482895 by sacredceltic, translation #485148 by CM
- Pouvez-vous tourner à droite à la prochaine rue?Can you turn right at the next street?
- Assurez-vous de faire un virage doux à gauche.Make sure to make a gentle left turn.
- Tourne à gauche à la prochaine intersection.Turn left at the next intersection.
- Prends à droite après la boulangerie.Take a right after the bakery.
- Elle tourne à gauche.She turns left.
- Tourne la clé dans la serrure.Turn the key in the lock.
- Je vais faire un virage à droite après le pont.I will take a right turn after the bridge.
- Vous pouvez changer de direction si vous préférez.You can change direction if you prefer.
- Prends la première à gauche pour arriver à la gare.Take the first left to reach the train station.
- Il est temps de tourner la page et d'aller de l'avant.It's time to turn the page and move forward.
- 48 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé is helping Lucas with a piece of furniture.
- ChloéPeux-tu tourner la table ?Can you turn the table?
- LucasOui, je la tourne maintenant.Yes, I am turning it now.
- ChloéIl faut tourner le pied vers la gauche.You have to turn the leg to the left.
- LucasC'est fait, c'est mieux comme ça.It's done, it's better like this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turn” translations and entries tourner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
