voler Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

voler — fly — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. voler is the verb for talking about birds: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a plane or watching the sky. On this page you will find voler in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with voler

In the present tense

  • “Je vole dans le ciel.” — “I fly in the sky.”
  • “Tu voles très haut.” — “You fly very high.”
  • “Il vole vers le sud.” — “He flies towards the south.”
  • “Nous volons toute la journée.” — “We fly all day.”
  • “Vous volez dans le ciel.” — “You fly in the sky.”
  • “Ils volent très haut.” — “They fly very high.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai volé dans le ciel cette semaine.” — “I have flown in the sky this week.”
  • “Tu as volé très haut cette semaine.” — “You have flown very high this week.”
  • “Il a volé vers le sud cette semaine.” — “He has flown towards the south this week.”
  • “Nous avons volé toute la journée cette semaine.” — “We have flown all day this week.”
  • “Vous avez volé dans le ciel cette semaine.” — “You have flown in the sky this week.”
  • “Ils ont volé très haut cette semaine.” — “They have flown very high this week.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present subjunctive — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je volais dans le ciel avant.” — “I used to fly in the sky before.”
  • “Je volerai très haut demain.” — “I will fly very high tomorrow.”
  • “Je volerais vers le sud un jour.” — “I would fly towards the south one day.”
  • “Bien que il vole toute la journée” — “Although he flies all day.”

voler in context

Je vole dans le ciel. Tu voles très haut. Il vole vers le sud. Nous volons toute la journée.

I fly in the sky. You fly very high. He flies towards the south. We fly all day.

J'ai volé dans le ciel. Il a volé très haut. Nous avons volé vers le sud.

I have flown in the sky this week. He has flown very high this week. We have flown towards the south this week.

Common mistakes with voler

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je voler dans le ciel.

Right: Je vole dans le ciel.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form vole.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je volons très haut.

Right: Je vole très haut.

volons is the nous form. With je, use vole.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je vole vers le sud.

Right: Hier, j'ai volé vers le sud.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai volé, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je vole toute la journée.

Right: Bien que je vole toute la journée.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive vole.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je volais dans le ciel hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai volé dans le ciel hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on voler

Ten questions on voler. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the tu form of voler in the Present indicative?

    • A) voles
    • B) volons
    • C) vole
    • D) volent

  2. What is the nous form of voler in the Present indicative?

    • A) voles
    • B) volons
    • C) vole
    • D) volez

  3. What is the il/elle form of voler in the Present perfect?

    • A) avons volé
    • B) a volé
    • C) avez volé
    • D) ai volé

  4. What is the je form of voler in the Imperfect?

    • A) volais
    • B) voliez
    • C) volions
    • D) volaient

  5. What is the nous form of voler in the Future?

    • A) volera
    • B) volerez
    • C) volerons
    • D) volerai

  6. What is the tu form of voler in the Conditional?

    • A) volerait
    • B) volerais
    • C) voleriez
    • D) volerions

  7. What is the je form of voler in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) vole
    • B) volions
    • C) voles
    • D) volent

  8. What is the il/elle form of voler in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) volât
    • B) volassent
    • C) volassiez
    • D) volassions

  9. What is the gerund of voler?

    • A) volant
    • B) buvant
    • C) dormant

  10. What is the past participle of voler?

  • A) dormi
  • B) volé
  • C) bu

Answer key

  1. A) voles — The tu form of voler in the present indicative is voles.
  2. B) volons — The nous form of voler in the present indicative is volons.
  3. B) a volé — The il/elle form of voler in the present perfect is a volé.
  4. A) volais — The je form of voler in the imperfect is volais.
  5. C) volerons — The nous form of voler in the future is volerons.
  6. B) volerais — The tu form of voler in the conditional is volerais.
  7. A) vole — The je form of voler in the present subjunctive is vole.
  8. A) volât — The il/elle form of voler in the imperfect subjunctive is volât.
  9. A) volant — The gerund of voler is en volant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. B) volé — The past participle of voler is volé; perfect tenses use avoir + volé.

Frequently asked questions

What does voler mean in English?

voler means “fly”. You use it for talking about birds, for describing a plane, and for watching the sky.

Is voler regular or irregular?

voler is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en volant and the past participle is volé.

How do I say “I fly” in French?

Say “Je vole dans le ciel.” — “I fly in the sky.” The je form of the present is vole.

Where can I see the full conjugation of voler?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Voler Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise voler this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with voler out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — dans le ciel, très haut and vers le sud — and change only the person, so you hear how vole, voles and vole sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai volé and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en volant and volé in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for voler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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