voilà
/vwa.la/
In French, "there you go" is translated as voilà.
The phrase voilà is used to indicate that someone has done something correctly, to present a completed result or to mean "there it is" or "there you go." A common way to introduce the final result of a process or a task is to say Et voilà ! Other expressions can serve similar purposes: voici is used for things closer to the speaker, tiens can be used when handing something over or drawing attention and the informal tadam is equivalent to "Ta-da!" or "There you go!"
Meaning: you have done it, or are doing it, correctly (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
voilà is a contraction of vois (see) and là (there), literally meaning "see there."
Which one should you use?
While voilà is used to mean "there you go" (indicating a completed action or result), voici is used for things that are closer to the speaker or are being introduced.
How do you pronounce it?
/vwa.la/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, voilà can be used to agree with someone, acting as a way of saying 'exactly' or 'that is the point'.
- Depending on the tone of voice, voilà can be used sarcastically to mean 'there you have it' when something predictable or annoying happens.
- In casual conversation, French speakers often use voilà as a filler word to signal they have finished speaking, similar to how an English speaker might say 'so, yeah' or 'that is all'.
Examples in context
- Et voilà le travail !There you go!This example shows how to use voilà to present completed work.Tatoeba #841746 by Snout, translation #2074219 by Snout
- « Et voilà ! C'est encore ouvert. » « Tiens. Pas de quoi paniquer, non ? »"There it is! It's still open." "There you go. No need to panic, was there?"This example uses voilà to express "There you go" in response to a situation.Tatoeba #11347114 by Micsmithel, translation #9509822 by sundown
- Voici votre commandeHere is your order
- Tiens, voilà ton livreHere you go, here's your book
- Et tadam, ton cadeau est prêt !And there you go, your gift is ready!
- Madame, voilà votre factureMadam, there's your bill
- Tiens, voici ta boissonHere you go, here's your drink
- Voilà, tu as réussi !There you go, you did it!
Example conversation
Léa is helping Nathan assemble a small piece of furniture.
- LéaTourne bien la vis dans ce sens.Turn the screw well in this direction.
- NathanC'est comme ça ?Like this?
- LéaVoilà, c'est parfait !There you go, it's perfect!
- NathanMerci, c'était plus facile que prévu.Thanks, it was easier than expected.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry voilà, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
