campagnol
/kɑ̃.pa.ɲɔl/masculine
The English word 'vole' is translated into French as campagnol.
The term refers to small rodents belonging to the subfamily Arvicolinae.
Meaning: small rodents of the subfamily Arvicolinae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word campagnol is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kɑ̃.pa.ɲɔl/. It consists of three syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, the word vole does not refer to the rodent but is a form of the verb voler, which means 'to fly' or 'to steal'.
- While an English speaker might call a vole a 'field mouse', using the term 'souris des champs' in French would actually refer to a different species entirely.
- The word campagnol is a direct linguistic relative of the Italian word 'campagnolo', which describes someone or something from the countryside.
Examples in context
- Il a volé mon portefeuilleHe stole my wallet.
- J'ai piqué ce stylo à mon amiI stole this pen from my friend.
- Les gamins ont chouravé les bonbonsThe kids stole the candies.
- Les pickpockets ont volé son téléphone.The pickpockets stole his phone.
- Mon frère a piqué ma barre de chocolat hier soir.My brother stole my chocolate bar last night.
- J'ai vu un campagnol dans le jardin.I saw a vole in the garden.
- Ce petit campagnol mange une racine.This little vole is eating a root.
- Le campagnol se cache sous les feuilles.The vole is hiding under the leaves.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are observing wildlife in a field.
- ManonRegarde, il y a un campagnol près de l'arbre !Look, there is a vole near the tree!
- HugoAh oui, il est vraiment minuscule.Ah yes, it is truly tiny.
- ManonIl court très vite entre les herbes.It runs very fast through the grass.
- HugoC'est un campagnol très agile.It is a very agile vole.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vole” translations and entries campagnol, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries campagnol, CC BY-SA 4.0.
