chemin
/ʃə.mɛ̃/masculine
Way in French, meaning a road, path or direction, is chemin. If unsure, use chemin. Wiktionary also lists voie.
Meaning: road, direction, path (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| chemin | /ʃə.mɛ̃/ | masculine |
| voie | /vwa/ /vwɑ/ |
feminine |
chemin is used for a physical path or road and also for a figurative way through life. The phrase en chemin is the standard way to say someone or something is on the way.
Which one should you use?
voie is more technical or formal. It is used for a railway track, a lane or a specific route. chemin is the everyday word for a path, a road or a journey. To say in my own way, French uses à ma manière. Informally, Le truc can mean a way or trick of doing something.
How does it change in a sentence?
chemin is masculine and its plural is chemins. voie is feminine and its plural is voies. The expression se frayer un chemin means to carve out a path.
How do you pronounce it?
chemin is pronounced /ʃə.mɛ̃/, in two syllables, with a nasal vowel at the end and no n sound.
Did you know?
- The word chemin has a surprising connection to the ancient Gaulish language, potentially coming from the word '*kamman'.
- In a French train station, the word voie is used to refer to the track number rather than the platform, which is called the quai.
- French uses the word voie to describe the 'way' or 'method' in the context of martial arts or philosophy, such as in la voie du samouraï.
Examples in context
- Il est en chemin.He's on his way.Il est en chemin. means he is on his way.Tatoeba #1832515 by sacredceltic, translation #1832134 by Spamster
- Je suis en chemin.I'm on my way.Je suis en chemin. is how you say you are on your way.Tatoeba #1475217 by martin9, translation #707205 by CK
- Elle est en chemin.She's on her way.Elle est en chemin. uses the same phrase for she.Tatoeba #1832518 by sacredceltic, translation #1832133 by Spamster
- Je vais te montrer le chemin.I'll show you the way
- Il n'y a pas de moyen facile d'apprendre le français.There's no easy way to learn French
- Elle a une manière unique de peindre.She has a unique way of painting
- Tu connais un truc pour réparer ça?Do you know a way to fix this?
- Ils ont trouvé un moyen de contourner le problème.They found a way to work around the problem.
- Elle réussira, de toute manière.She will succeed, in any case.
- J'ai trouvé un moyen pour aller rapidement à l'école.I found a way to get to school quickly.
- 449 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are hiking in the forest.
- EmmaEst-ce que ce chemin mène au lac ?Does this path lead to the lake?
- HugoOui, c'est le bon chemin, Emma.Yes, it is the right way, Emma.
- EmmaTu es sûr, Hugo ?Are you sure, Hugo?
- HugoAbsolument, continue de suivre ce chemin.Absolutely, keep following this path.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “way” translations and entries chemin, voie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chemin, voie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
