Move over “C’est la vie” and “Oh là là!” Today we’re going to talk about the well-known French word voilà! This popular word has been adopted into English and is used to add a touch of that French “je ne sais quoi” to everyday conversations, but what’s the actual voilà meaning in French? And how do you say it? Is it “vwa-lah,” “wah-lah,” “viola,” or something else?!

Never fear: in this post, we’re going to break down all the different nuanced ways that native speakers use voilà in French, with plenty of examples to show you how it’s done.

Voilà, c’est parti ! – let’s go!

The literal meaning of Voilà in French

Before we jump into all the different ways to use voilà in French, let’s talk about its literal meaning. In French, voilà is a contraction of the words voir (to see) and là (there, over there). When we break it down like this, voilà can roughly be translated into English as see there or look over there. However, it’s much more versatile than just pointing something out!

The context will determine the placement of voilà in a phrase: depending on how it’s being used, we can place voilà at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.

Voilà in French to present or introduce

As we explained in the previous section, voilà can be used to point something out for another person to see. In this context, it’s usually accompanied by a physical gesture to indicate where to look. This voilà meaning generally translates as there’s in English.

• Voilà la Tour Eiffel, à gauche ! – There is the Eiffel Tower, on the left!

• Ils vont bientôt arriver…ah, les voilà ! – They are going to arrive soon…ah, there they are!

An equivalent use of voilà in French is when we want to say this is or here’s when presenting a person or object to someone.

• Voilà mon amie Marie. – This is my friend Marie.

• Voilà votre monnaie et votre ticket de caisse. – Here is your change and your receipt.

Finally, in this same category, we have the use of voilà in French that precedes an explanation, like saying here is, this is, or that is in English.

• Voilà comment faire du jet-ski. – That’s how to ride a jet ski.

• Voilà ce qu’il faut faire pour réussir. – Here is what must be done to succeed.

Voilà in French to call attention

Much like using voilà to present or introduce someone or something, we can also use this versatile French word to call attention to something, as if unveiling it. In this context, it’s like saying there it is or here it is in English. It can even be used somewhat sarcastically, sort of as you might say of course.

• J’ai trouvé la réponse à notre question. La voilà ! – I found the answer to our question. Here it is!

• Voilà, mon coloc a oublié encore ses clés ! – There they are, my flatmate forgot his keys again! – Of course, my flatmate forgot his keys again!

Voilà in French to conclude a conversation

We can use voilà in French as a filler word to wrap up a conversation. The English translation of this use of voilà is often much wordier, along the lines of and there you have it or and that’s about it.

• Nous avons discuté de nos plans pour les vacances, voilà. – We discussed our holiday plans, and that sums it up.

• Elle m’a expliqué la situation, voilà. – She explained the situation to me, and that about covers it.

Using the expression bon voilà is another way to end a conversation, like saying okay then or well, there you go in English. The addition of bon adds a friendly and positive tone to the conclusion.

• On se voit demain, n’est-ce pas ? / Bon voilà, à bientôt ! – We’ll see each other tomorrow, right? / Okay then, see you soon!

Voilà in French to convey accomplishment

Another way to use the French word voilà is as a way to indicate that something has been done or achieved, like saying there you go or there you have it in English.

• J’ai suivi tes conseils, et voilà, tout s’est bien passé. – I followed your advice, and there you have it, everything went well.

• Il a réussi l’examen, voilà comme promis. – He passed the exam, there you go, as promised.

A nuance to this use is the expression et voilà, which emphasizes an expected result, whether it’s good, bad, or neutral. This phrase is used when the outcome or situation is in line with what was anticipated or predicted. Especially in a negative situation, the expression et voilà can be like saying I told you so in English.

• Nous avons suivi le plan à la lettre, et voilà, le projet est un succès. – We followed the plan to the letter, and there you have it, the project is a success.

• Tu ne m’as pas écouté, et voilà, maintenant tu as raté ton vol. – You didn’t listen to me, and there you go, now you’ve missed your flight.

Voilà in French to express approval or agreement

In conversation, you can use voilà to agree with what the person you’re talking to just said. When used this way, it’s like saying exactly or that’s exactly right in English to convey approval.

• Je savais que je n’avais pas tort ! / Voilà. – I knew I wasn’t wrong! / Exactly.

• Vous ne mangez pas de viande, c’est ça ? / Voilà. – You don’t eat meat, right? / That’s exactly right.

Voilà in French to indicate the passage of time

An informal use of voilà in French is to replace depuis or il y a to illustrate the passage of time. In this context, it’s like saying ago, since, or for.

• Voilà quinze minutes que je t’ai attendu ! – I have been waiting for you for fifteen minutes!

• Il est parti voilà sept jours. – He left seven days ago.

Voilà in French to express realization

Our final way to use voilà is to show surprise or realization, as in when suddenly discovering something, similar to the English expressions there it is or there you go. This nuance adds a layer of spontaneity to the use of voilà.

• J’ai cherché mes clés partout, et voilà, elles étaient dans ma poche ! – I searched everywhere for my keys, and there you go, they were in my pocket!

• J’ai eu une crévaison au milieu de nulle-part, puis voilà, un autre cycliste est apparu deux minutes plus tard avec des rustines et une pompe. – I got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, and then [there they were,] another cyclist appeared two minutes later with a patch kit and a pump.

Spelling and pronunciation of Voilà in French

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly discuss how to spell and pronounce voilà in French.

First, although it’s commonly misspelled as “viola” or “voila” (without the accent), the correct spelling in both French and English is voilà, including the grave accent.

Second, pronunciation does vary a bit, mostly depending on the extent that voilà is being used to emphasize something. The standard French pronunciation, however, is “vwah-lah.”

Conclusion: Voilà

Voilà, there you have it! In today’s post, we uncovered the different uses of this versatile French expression!

The French word voilà can be tricky to use, as it doesn’t have a fixed or stable English equivalent, but that’s part of its allure and charm. From pointing out a landmark to concluding a discussion with a friendly bon voilà, you’ll sound like even more of a native speaker as you incorporate the French voilà into a nice variety of contexts!