French Conversation · Level 30
89 words
French word
voler
Pronunciation
IPA/vole/
Meaning
- verbfly
Example
L'oiseau vole dans le ciel.
The bird flies in the sky.
More examples
Le papillon vole de fleur en fleur.
The butterfly flies from flower to flower.
Core concept
Something rises and moves freely through the air, or disappears quickly into someone's possession.
Common phrases
voler dans le ciel
fly in the sky
voler haut
fly high
Similar words
dérober: To secretly steal something and carry it away.
piquer: To steal something on the sly, in informal usage.
s'envoler: To suddenly take flight and rise high into the sky.
décoller: To lift off from the ground or runway and start flying.
Definition in French
S'élever ou se déplacer dans l'air en battant des ailes, en planant ou par propulsion ; par extension, emporter quelque chose sans permission.
Word origin
French inherited voler from Latin volare, and the sense 'to steal' developed figuratively from the idea of carrying something away through the air.
Usage tips
- Voler quelqu'un means 'to rob someone', whereas voler quelque chose means 'to steal something'; the construction with à also identifies the person robbed.