French Conversation · Level 60
75 words
French word
circulation
Pronunciation
IPA/siʁkylasjɔ̃/
Meaning
- feminine nountraffic
Example
La circulation est dense ce matin.
There is heavy traffic this morning.
More examples
En ville, la circulation ralentit aux heures de pointe.
In town, traffic slows down during rush hour.
Core concept
Road users and other things move through a shared space, forming a flow that can spread, pause, or become congested.
Common phrases
circulation dense
heavy traffic
circulation en ville
traffic in town
circulation sur l'autoroute
traffic on the highway
Similar words
trafic: The general movement of vehicles or pedestrians along roads.
embouteillage: A traffic jam caused by many vehicles concentrating and stopping movement.
bouchon: A traffic jam in which vehicles become stuck in a narrow section.
ralentissement: A slowdown in vehicle speed that delays progress.
Definition in French
Déplacement et mouvement sur les voies publiques ou dans un espace donné, employé surtout pour parler du trafic routier.
Word origin
French circulation comes from Latin circulatio, formed from circulare, 'to move in a circle', and extended to movement and distribution.
Usage tips
- Circulation is feminine, so the usual form is la circulation, as in la circulation est dense; it often means road traffic in everyday speech.
Other meanings
- flownoun
- blood flownoun
Related words
- circulerdriveverb
- circulairecircularnoun