Français — Presentatives voici / voilà

Voici and voilà point something out or introduce it: Voici mon frère ("here is my brother"), Voilà la gare ("there is the station"). Voilà also states how long something has lasted, and both combine with a pronoun: le voici.

How it works

✓ Rule

Voici presents what is near or about to come, voilà what is farther or already there: Voici ta clé, voilà la porte. They take a noun (Voilà Paul !) or a pronoun placed before them (le voici, la voilà, les voici). With a time span, voilà means "it has been": Voilà deux ans que j'habite ici.

Examples

voici / voilà in use
Example	Use
Voici mon frère.	voici presents what is near or new ("here is my brother")
Voilà la gare.	voilà points to what is farther or already there ("there is the station")
Tu cherches Marie ? La voilà !	with a pronoun placed before it ("there she is!")
Le voici qui arrive.	le voici + relative to announce someone coming ("here he comes")
Voilà deux ans que j'habite ici.	voilà + duration = how long something has lasted ("for two years")
Et voilà, c'est fini !	voilà as a conclusion, "and there you go"

Good to know

⚠ Note

In everyday speech voilà has largely taken over both roles, so Voilà mon frère sounds natural too — the near/far contrast is now mostly written or careful style. Also mind the accent: it is voilà (with à), never *voila.