French word

van

Pronunciation

IPA/vɑ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvan

Example

J'ai loué un van pour le week-end.

For the weekend, I rented a van.

Illustration for van (van)

More examples

Ils voyagent en van pendant l'été.

They travel by van during the summer.

Core concept

A box-shaped road vehicle with room behind the front seats for several people or their luggage.

Common phrases

  • louer un van

    rent a van

  • conduire un van

    drive a van

  • voyager en van

    travel by van

Similar words

camionnette: A small van-style cargo vehicle for transporting goods or a few people.
minibus: A small bus with multiple seats for carrying several passengers.
utilitaire: A commercial vehicle designed mainly to transport goods.

Definition in French

Véhicule fermé, généralement plus grand qu'une voiture, destiné au transport de personnes ou de bagages; nom masculin.

Word origin

French van is borrowed from English van, a shortening of caravan, which entered English through French caravane and ultimately traces to Persian karwan.

Usage tips

  • Van is masculine in French, so standard usage is un van and ce van, not une van or cette van.

Word lists with this word