French dictionary

voilà/vwa.la/

preposition / verb · A2 · Frequency 217

preposition

(interjection) here is/are, there is/are, look, take this
Commonly used as an interjection to present or emphasize something or someone.
(adverb) indicating time, ago
Used to indicate that something happened before a certain point in the past, common in spoken language.

Voilà le livre de Marie.
Voilà le livre de Marie !
When used as an interjection to present something, 'voilà' requires an exclamation mark (or occasionally a question or full stop) at the end; omitting it risks sounding like a neutral declarative sentence, losing its pragmatic function of presentation/emphasis.
Voilà que je suis fatigué.
Et voilà que je suis fatigué !
'Voilà que...' is not grammatically valid on its own; the fixed expression must begin with 'Et voilà que...', signaling an unexpected or sudden occurrence. Omitting 'et' is a frequent grammatical error among learners.

here/there it is; here/there they are; used to point out a person or thing
Used to present or point out a person, thing, or event.
that is; that is to say; used to introduce an explanation, conclusion, or something already mentioned
Commonly used to explain, restate, or sum up what has just been said.
there you go; that's it; used to mark completion, closure, or mild surprise
Common in speech; can convey emphasis, resignation, or a sudden turn.

Voilà le livre que tu cherchais depuis longtemps.
Here is the book you have been looking for a long time.
Il a raté le train, voilà pourquoi il est en retard.
He missed the train, that is why he is late.
Voilà, c'est fini, nous pouvons partir maintenant.
There you go, it's finished, we can leave now.