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voler

to fly

verb voh-LEH Common
Travel & Places Movement

Also means

to steal

Usage Note

Voler is a classic homonym — it means both 'to fly' (like a bird or plane) and 'to steal' (like a thief). Context usually disambiguates: l'oiseau vole (the bird flies) vs. il m'a volé mon portefeuille (he stole my wallet). The noun un vol similarly means both 'a flight' and 'a theft.'

Examples

"L'oiseau vole au-dessus des arbres."

Natural Translation

The bird flies above the trees.

Literal Translation

The bird flies above-of the trees.

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