voici / voilà

Presenting with Voici and Voila

Level 2

Voici (here is/are) and voilà (there is/are) are used to present things. When used with pronouns, the pronoun always comes before the word: Le voilà ! (There he is!)

How It Works

1. The Pronoun Order
When you want to say 'Here I am' or 'There they are', you must use a direct object pronoun. The pronoun is placed directly in front of the word. Unlike verbs starting with a vowel, voici and voilà start with a consonant, so no elision occurs:

  • Me voici (Here I am)
  • Te voilà (There you are)
  • Le/La voilà (There he/she/it is)
  • Nous voici (Here we are)
  • Vous voilà (There you are)
  • Les voici (Here they are)

2. Using 'en' and Indirect Objects
You can use the pronoun en to refer to quantities:

  • En voilà une bonne idée ! (Now there's a good idea!)

Important: You cannot use indirect object pronouns (lui, leur) with these expressions. To say 'Here is something for him', you would say 'Le voici pour lui'.

3. Voici vs. Voilà
Etymologically, voici comes from vois-ci (see here) and voilà from vois-là (see there).

  • Voici: Primarily used in formal writing or to introduce new information/something you are about to say.
  • Voilà: The universal default in spoken French. It is used for things further away, things just mentioned, or to conclude a thought.
  • Standalone: Voilà ! can be used alone to mean 'There!' or 'Done!', whereas Voici cannot be used this way.

Examples (5)

  1. Te voilà enfin ! Je t'attendais.

    There you are at last! I was waiting for you.

    Word by Word: You there-is finally! I you was-waiting-for.

    A very common way to greet someone upon their arrival. The pronoun 'te' precedes 'voilà'.

  2. Les voici, vos clés de voiture.

    Here they are, your car keys.

    Word by Word: Them here-is, your keys of car.

    Using 'voici' to formally present an object to someone. 'Les' refers to the plural 'clés'.

  3. Me voici ! Je suis prêt.

    Here I am! I am ready.

    Word by Word: Me here-is! I am ready.

    Used to announce your presence or arrival.

  4. En voilà un beau gâteau !

    Now that's a beautiful cake!

    Word by Word: Of-it there-is a beautiful cake!

    The pronoun 'en' is used here for emphasis when pointing out an example of something.

  5. Le voilà qui arrive.

    There he is, arriving.

    Word by Word: Him there-is who arrives.

    A common construction to point out someone in the middle of an action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui) instead of object pronouns.

    Voici moi.
    Me voici.

    You must use the direct object pronoun (me, te, le, etc.), not the stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui, etc.).

  • Attempting to use indirect object pronouns like 'lui' or 'leur'.

    Lui voilà.
    Le voilà.

    Voici and voilà only work with direct object pronouns. To refer to an indirect recipient, you must use a prepositional phrase like 'Le voilà pour lui' (There it is for him).

  • Placing the pronoun after the word.

    Voilà-les.
    Les voilà.

    Unlike the imperative (commands), pronouns always come before 'voici' and 'voilà'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

voici / voilàLevel 2Presenting with Voici and Voila

Learn This First

To use 'voici' and 'voilà' with pronouns, you first need to be familiar with the direct object pronouns themselves. Additionally, understanding the general rule that object pronouns precede the word they modify in French provides the necessary grammatical context for this specific construction.

Words in This Pattern

voici