The French interjection "voyons" is a commonly used expression, translating to "let's see" or "come on now". Its spelling can be a bit confusing for English speakers as it is pronounced almost like "vwah-yawns", with the emphasis on the second syllable. IPA phonetic transcription for this word is "vwajɔ̃", with the "v" sound followed by a nasal "w" and an open O sound. The final "s" is silent, as is often the case in French.
"Voyons," derived from the French verb "voir" meaning "to see," is a colloquial expression commonly used in Canadian French, particularly in Quebec. It functions as an interjection or exclamation, often used in conversation to express surprise, disbelief, or annoyance. This term can be translated as "let's see" or "come on," depending on the context and the speaker's intention.
As an exclamation, "voyons" is used to convey a sense of disbelief or frustration, similar to the English phrases "oh come on" or "seriously." It can express annoyance, disappointment, or even mild anger towards a situation, an individual's behavior, or an unexpected outcome.
Furthermore, "voyons" can be employed to express astonishment or surprise in response to something unexpected or shocking. It is used to indicate that the speaker is taken aback or fascinated by a particular event or piece of information.
While "voyons" is mostly used in spoken language, it may also be encountered in informal written communication such as text messaging or social media platforms.
Overall, "voyons" is a versatile and widely used expression in Canadian French, serving as a means to communicate various emotions including surprise, disbelief, annoyance, and frustration.
The word "voyons" comes from the French language. It is the imperative form of the verb "voir", which means "to see" in English. The etymology of "voyons" can be traced back to the Latin word "vidēre", which also means "to see". The French verb "voir" evolved from the Latin word, and "voyons" is the first-person plural imperative form of "voir". It is used as a command that can be translated to "let's see" or "let us see" in English.