French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Cow" in French: vache

la vache

Say it: lah vashfeminine · la vachenoun/vaʃ/

Cow in French is la vache, feminine : une vache, des vaches. Oh la vache ! is a colloquial wow. Farm and cheese regions use the word constantly.

Countryside walk

La vache regarde le train passer.
The cow watches the train go by.
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How to pronounce vache

Say it

lah vash

/vaʃ/

Vash. Soft ch like sh. Une vache: ün vash.

"Cow" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
la vachethe cow

Animal.

une vachea cow

Indefinite.

des vachescows

Plural.

oh la vachewow / damn

Exclamation.

How to use vache in real life

  1. 1Countryside walk

    La vache regarde le train passer.

    The cow watches the train go by.

    La vache.

  2. 2Farm visit

    On trait les vaches tôt le matin.

    They milk the cows early in the morning.

    Les vaches.

  3. 3Surprise reaction

    Oh la vache, quel embouteillage !

    Wow, what a traffic jam!

    Exclamation.

Mistakes English speakers make with vache

Incorrect: Le vache est brune.

Correct: La vache est brune.

Vache is feminine.

Incorrect: Des vacques dans le pré.

Correct: Des vaches dans le pré.

Plural is vaches, not vacques.

Good to know

From Normandy to the Alps, vaches define landscapes and cheese labels. Oh la vache remains a mild, everyday exclamation.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

A roadside farm stop

  1. ChatPal

    Tu vois la vache près de la clôture ?

    Do you see the cow near the fence?

  2. You

    Oui. Cette vache a une cloche.

    Yes. That cow has a bell.

  3. ChatPal

    Les vaches ici donnent un bon lait.

    The cows here give good milk.

  4. You

    On achète du fromage à la ferme ?

    Shall we buy cheese at the farm?

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Cow" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Cow" in French

Is vache feminine?

Yes: la vache.

What does oh la vache mean?

A colloquial wow or mild damn.

What is the plural?

Les vaches.

How do you pronounce vache?

Vash.

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