In French, the verb marcher is has many uses. Translations of marcher include “to walk”, “to work” and “to function”. This post will explore several example sentences using marcher with audio as well as the conjugation in the present tense. Keep reading!
marcher
to walk, work, function
Marcher conjugation
Marcher is a regular ER verb. This is means that when conjugated in the present tense, its endings are the same as all other regular ER verbs.
Je marche I walk
Tu marches You walk (singular, informal)
Il, elle, on marche He, she, one walks
Nous marchons We walk
Vous marchez You walk (plural, formal)
Ils, elles marchent They walk
In our first two example sentences, marcher simply translates to “to walk”.
Ralentis un peu ! Ne marche pas si vite !
Slow down! Don’t walk so fast!
J’aime marcher dans le parc le dimanche après-midi.
I like to walk in the park on Sunday afternoons.
The second most common way to use marcher is the context of things and situations “working”. The expression ça marche means “that works”. For example:
On se retrouve demain soir. Ça marche ?
Let’s meet up tomorrow night. Does that work?
Ne vous inquiétez pas. Ça va marcher.
Don’t worry. It’s going to work.
A third and final usage of marcher is “to work” or “to function”, in the context of a machine or motor.
Malheureusement le mixeur ne marche pas ce matin.
Unfortunately, the blender isn’t working this morning.
Expressions with marcher
The verb marcher can be found in lots of French expressions. Here are some examples:
- Faire marcher quelqu’un à la baguette rule with an iron hand
- Marcher au radar to run on autopilot
- Marcher comme sur des roulettes to go (or run) smoothly
- Marcher du tonnerre to go really well, like a dream
- Se laisser marcher sur les pieds to let people walk all over you
Conclusion
Et voilà ! You now know the main usages of the French verb marcher. Now check out our posts explaining how to use the words ailleurs/d’ailleurs (elsewhere/for that matter) and the adjective formidable (wonderful).
