Languages › French French Expression Explained: La Vache Share Flipboard Email Print Jose Luis Palaez, Inc. / Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on August 12, 2018 The familiar French exclamation la vache ! is a mild oath, used to express any moderate-to-medium reaction such as surprise, indignation, or admiration. Expression: La vache ! Pronunciation: [la vahsh] Meaning: holy cow! wow! damn! Literal translation: the cow Register: familiar Examples La vache, tu arrives tôt !Holy cow, you're early!La vache ! Qu'est-ce que tu as fait ? Damnit, what have you done!?La vache, j'ai trouvé 100 euros !Wow, I found 100 euros! Variations oh la vache !ah la vache ! Similar Expressions Negative reaction: oh là là ! or sacrebleu Positive reaction: chouette ! or génial ! Neutral reaction: ah bon Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "French Expression Explained: La Vache." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/la-vache-vocabulary-1371486. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). French Expression Explained: La Vache. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/la-vache-vocabulary-1371486 Team, ThoughtCo. "French Expression Explained: La Vache." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/la-vache-vocabulary-1371486 (accessed May 30, 2023). copy citation