Questions & Answers about Voilà la boulangerie !
Why use Voilà instead of Il y a if both translate to 'there is'?
We use Il y a to state that something exists somewhere in general, like saying 'There is a bakery on my street.' We use Voilà to point directly at something you can physically see, like saying 'There is the bakery!' while pointing at it. Does Voilà literally mean 'see there'?
Yes! It originally comes from combining vois (the command form of 'to see') and là (there). It literally tells the listener to look over there, which is exactly why it is used for pointing things out. Is there a trick to remember that boulangerie is feminine?
The article la right in front of it is your best clue. As a helpful rule, almost all French words that end in -erie (especially shops that sell things) are feminine, so they will use la or une. Could I say Voilà une boulangerie instead of using la?
You could, but it changes the story. Voilà la boulangerie means 'There is THE bakery' (the specific one you were trying to find). Voilà une boulangerie means 'There is A bakery' (a random one you just happened to spot). Learn Voilà la boulangerie and more in French
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