marcher
/maʁ.ʃe/
To walk in French is marcher. Wiktionary also lists se promener.
Meaning: to move on the feet (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| marcher | /maʁ.ʃe/ |
| se promener |
While marcher focuses on the physical movement or a mode of travel, se promener is used when the intent is to stroll or take a walk for pleasure.
Which one should you use?
Use marcher to describe the physical act of walking or using one's feet as a method of transport. In contrast, use se promener when you mean to take a walk or stroll for enjoyment.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase se promener is a pronominal verb, which means it requires a reflexive pronoun such as me, te, se, nous or vous when you conjugate it.
How do you pronounce it?
/maʁ.ʃe/ (2 syllables)
Did you know?
- While marcher means to walk, it is also the standard French verb used to say that a machine or a device is 'working'. If your phone is 'walking', it means it is functioning correctly.
- French has a specific phrase marcher sur les nerfs, which literally means 'to walk on the nerves'. It is the equivalent of the English idiom 'to get on someone's nerves'.
- While se promener means to stroll, the verb mener inside it means 'to lead'. Literally, taking a walk for pleasure is described as 'leading oneself' through a space.
Examples in context
- On va se promener.We're going for a walk.This sentence is useful for suggesting a stroll using se promener.Tatoeba #8285670 by Aiji, translation #3310960 by CK
- Je peux marcher seul.I can walk alone.This sentence uses marcher to describe the ability to move on foot alone.Tatoeba #6307476 by felix63, translation #6736502 by Eccles17
- Que dis-tu de marcher ?How about taking a walk?This sentence uses marcher to suggest the activity of walking.Tatoeba #980791 by sacredceltic, translation #245140 by CK
- Vous pouvez marcher jusqu'à l'arrêt de bus.You can walk to the bus stop.
- Il est préférable de se déplacer à pied dans cette zone.It is preferable to walk in this area.
- On peut aller à pied jusqu'au cinéma.We can walk to the cinema.
- On se balade souvent le long de la rivière.We often take walks along the river.
- J'adore flâner dans les rues de Paris.I love to wander through the streets of Paris.
- On se promène souvent dans le parc avec nos chiens.We often walk in the park with our dogs.
- 304 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are deciding how to get to the city center.
- LéaOn peut marcher jusqu'au centre.We can walk to the center.
- NathanC'est trop loin pour marcher, Léa.It's too far to walk, Léa.
- LéaOn va marcher lentement alors.We will walk slowly then.
- NathanD'accord, on y va !Okay, let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “walk” translations and entries marcher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
