French Phrase
Mon vol venait de Tokyo.
Meaning
The sentence tells the listener that the speaker’s flight originated in Tokyo. It is often used when recounting a recent trip or explaining the point of departure of a journey.
When to use
Use this phrase after you have arrived at your destination, when answering questions about where your flight came from, or when describing the itinerary of a past trip.
✦Grammar Breakdown
MonvolvenaitdeTokyo
Possessive adjective
‘Mon’ agrees with the masculine singular noun ‘vol’ and means ‘my’.
Noun ‘vol’
In travel context, ‘vol’ means ‘flight’; it can also mean ‘theft’, so context is key.
Imperfect of venir
‘venait’ is the imperfect form of ‘venir’ and expresses a past state or ongoing action (‘was coming from’).
Preposition ‘de’
‘de’ introduces the place of origin; with cities it translates to ‘from’.
Proper noun pronunciation
Foreign city names keep their spelling but are pronounced with French phonetics (Tokyo → /tɔ.ki/).
🗨In Conversation
D'où venait ton vol ?
Where did your flight come from?
Mon vol venait de Tokyo.
My flight came from Tokyo.
✕Common Mistakes
Mon vol vient de Tokyo.
‘vient’ is present tense; the sentence refers to a past flight, so the imperfect ‘venait’ is required.
Mon vol était de Tokyo.
‘était de’ does not convey origin; use ‘venait de’ or ‘partait de’.
Mon vol a été de Tokyo.
The passé composé ‘a été de’ is ungrammatical for expressing origin.
↔Alternatives
Mon vol partait de Tokyo.
My flight departed from Tokyo.
Le vol que j'ai pris venait de Tokyo.
The flight I took came from Tokyo.
Je suis arrivé(e) de Tokyo.
I arrived from Tokyo.
Cultural Tip
In French, ‘vol’ can also mean ‘theft’, so when you say ‘Mon vol…’ make sure the travel context is clear. Also, Japanese city names are adapted to French phonetics, so ‘Tokyo’ is pronounced /tɔ.ki/ rather than the English /ˈtoʊkioʊ/. Using the imperfect ‘venait’ sounds natural when you are describing a past situation rather than a current fact.