French Expression 12 Voilà
A very frequently used expression is " Voilà " . Let us observe how this expression is used by French speakers. Vois = see. This is the imperative of the verb " voir ". Là = there . The word is derived from these two words. It is used primarily as a presentative expression .
1. Le voilà qui arrive - There he comes !
2. Voilà mon ami Durand ! There you see my friend Durand !
" Voilà " can be preceded by a pronoun as in the first example above or followed by a noun as in the second example to invite somebody's attention to some happening.
We are expecting some person . He is coming . One in the group says. " there he comes "
Le voilà qui arrive !
You can also say " le voilà ".
If the person were a woman , say , " La voilà ". - There she is !
In the case of any noun, remember it should be placed after " Voilà " and not before as is the case with the pronoun. Hope the point is clear.
It is also used while summing up or concluding in the final statement along with " et" as " et voilà ".
" Et voilà , arrive la fin de cet homme misérable "
And thus came the end of that miserable man .
Before making the above statement, the speaker had narrated the story of a man and particularly his end. At the conclusion " Et voilà " is used.Hope you got it.
While " Voici " means " here is " to denote something nearer to the speaker , " Voilà " is used to denote something which is little away from the speaker.
Voici mon ami ! Here is my friend !
Voilà ta mère . Ne pleure pas. - There you see your mother. Don't cry.
There are many more expressions containing " Voilà " . In due course, i intend taking them up. I want these notes as brief as possible.
Voilà pourquoi , je m'arrête . -- That is why I stop now. ( Voilà pourquoi = C'est pourquoi = that is why )
T. K. Jayaraman
30/07/2015
Bangalore
