la vache
/la vaʃ/
The English phrase "holy cow" can be translated into French as la vache.
Meaning: interjection (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/la vaʃ/
Did you know?
- If a French speaker wants to be even more emphatic than la vache, they might use la vache qui rit, which is also the brand name for Laughing Cow cheese.
- The adverb vachement, derived from the word for cow, is used in casual speech to mean 'very' or 'extremely'.
- In French, if you call someone a vache, you are not calling them an animal, but rather labeling them as 'mean' or 'cruel'.
Examples in context
- La vache !Holy cow!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use la vache to express surprise.Tatoeba #374630 by zmoo, translation #24991 by orcrist
- La vache, c'est énorme !Holy cow, it's huge!
- La vache, quel prix !Holy cow, what a price!
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are looking at a massive-sized cake in a bakery window.
- NathanLa vache, regarde cette taille !Holy cow, look at that size!
- ManonC'est vrai, il est impressionnant.It's true, it is impressive.
- NathanTu penses qu'on peut le manger ?Do you think we can eat it?
- ManonSeulement si nous sommes très affamés.Only if we are very hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holy cow” translations and entries la vache, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
