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“All” is a word we don’t give much thought to in everyday English, but it has different roles in the above sentences.
To express these ideas in French, however, you’ll need to know all about tout,its variants and its usages.
You’re going to want to express this idea allthe time—so it is really important to start learning these words now. All shall be clear soon.
Check out this essential guide to French’s tout, touts, tous, toute and toutes.
That’s not all. Being one of the most common words in the French language, it has many variants that serve diverse purposes. One of those variants is
tous.
But what are the differences between these words and what are these “diverse purposes” you’re blabbering on about, Michael? Let’s take a look. Below is
a list of all the ways tout can be used in French, which we’ll then look at in detail, one by one, in this post.
(1) Adjective: Most commonly, tout is used as an adjective. This means that it can modify nouns as well as act alongside definite articles (as
in le/la—the), possessive adjectives (as in mon—my) and demonstrative adjectives (as in ce—this, cette—that).
(2) Adverb: Secondly, tout can be used as an adverb. This happens when it is used to modify verbs or adjectives.
(3) Noun/pronoun: Tout can also be used as a noun. This would be the equivalent as saying “you are my everything”(tu es mon tout) in
English. Similarly, tout can be used as a pronoun, as in when you say “everything is good” (tout va bien) in English.
Got it? Not quite, huh? Well, that’s okay. The following sections will get you all up to speed.
A note on pronunciation
While the pronunciations of tout and its variants are typically pretty predictable, it can change depending on whether a speaker is using a certain form as
an adjective, adverb, noun, pronoun or fixed expression. I have you covered though. Each section has a handy pronunciation guide after its explanation.
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Tout vs. Tous: The 3 Main Uses of Tout (and Its Variants)
1. Tout as an Adjective
I know what you’re thinking: “Michael, you’ve done a lot of talking about tout and its supposed variants, but you haven’t actually shown me these variants!”
As an adjective, tout has four forms. In fact, some of these forms appear when it acts as an adverb and pronouns (but not all—stayed tuned). As you
might guess, the word tout is masculine and singular. That means it is used when it modifies masculine, singular words.
Consequently, tout becomes tous when modifying masculine plural forms, and toute and toutes modify feminine singular and feminine plural forms,
respectively.
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J’apprends le français toute la journée.
(I learn French all day.)
Here toute is acting alongside a definite article la (the), and it ends in -e because the word journée is feminine and singular.
In this case, the word tous is alongside the possessive adjective mes (my), and it has been changed to tous from tout because amis (friends) is a
masculine plural word.
The word toutes in this sentence comes before the demonstrative adjective ces (these) and ends in -es because idées is a feminine plural word.
2. Tout as an Adverb
It would be nice if I could tell you that tout as an adverb is always invariable, but I’m sorry that’s just not the case. Tout as an adverb is invariable when it
modifies other adverbs, but when it modifies an adjective, that’s where things get interesting. Observe.
In the phrase, Il marche tout doucement, the word tout almost means “very,” and the phrase as a whole means “He walks very softly/quietly.” In this case,
the word tout is acting as an adverb, as it is modifying the adverb doucement.
Adverb-ception, much? In this situation and others like it, tout is invariable. That means it won’t change form to tous, toute or toutes. Ever. It is just tout.
However, things are more complicated when the adverbial tout modifies an adjective. This might take some time for you to digest, so check out this
handy breakdown:
When tout modifies a masculine adjective, it is invariable regardless of whether the word is singular or plural.
When tout modifies a feminine adjective that begins with a vowel or a silent “h,” the word tout is still invariable.
But, when tout modifies a feminine adjective that begins with a consonant or an h aspiré (an aspirated “h”), tout must match the gender
(feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the adjective.
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Tout à coup (all of a sudden)
Tout de suite (immediately) — Keep in mind that in this expression, the de is not pronounced, but the “t” in tout is pronounced to sound somewhat
like “toot.”
When tout is used as a noun, it is masculine and singular, meaning its form never changes. Further, it is pronounced without its final “t” to sound likethis.
For example:
Tu es mon tout.
(You are my everything.)
le Grand Tout
(the universe)
Easy, right? I promise, it doesn’t get much more complicated. Simply add an -s to this word to make it plural. For example:
As a neutral pronoun (one that doesn’t really refer to anything in particular), the word tout is invariable and doesn’t change. This can be seen in the
expressions c’est tout (that’s all) or malgré tout (despite everything).
The indefinite pronoun can also be found in proverbs like tout ce qui brille n’est pas or (All that glitters isn’t gold).
However, when the pronoun tout is actually referring to a preceding noun, it changes form only when it is plural. For example, a speaker would
say “Tous sont ici” (Everyone is here) when asked “Où sont les enfants ?” (Where are the children?).
A lot to take in, right? Well, why don’t you take a break? Check out the song“Tous les mêmes” by Belgian singer Stromae to see the word tout as
a pronoun in action!
Did you understand it all? Make sure you check! Test your new knowledge of tout and tous here on About French. There are also quizzes on To Learn
French, Le Point de FLE and Français Facile.
Keep your eyes and ears open for tout and its variants as you watch French TV, read online, browse social media, etc. Collect all of your tout examples in
one place, and try categorizing each based on its use: adjective, adverb or noun/pronoun.
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And One More Thing…
Now that you’ve learned one important piece of the language, it’s time to think about how you’re going to learn the rest of French.
FluentU lets you learn French from real-world content like music videos, commercials, news broadcasts, cartoons and inspiring talks.
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spoken in modern life.
One quick look will give you an idea of the diverse content found on FluentU:
Love the thought of learning French with native materials but afraid you won’t understand what’s being said? FluentU brings authentic French videos
within reach of any learner. Interactive captions will guide you along the way, so you’ll never miss a word.
Tap on any word to see a definition, in-context usage examples, audio pronunciation, helpful images and more. For example, if you tap on the word s“ uit,”
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then this is what appears on your screen:
Don’t stop there, though. Use FluentU’s learn mode to actively practice all the vocabulary in any video with vocabulary lists, flashcards, quizzes and fun
activities like “fill in the blank.”
As you continue advancing in your French studies, FluentU keeps track of all the grammar and vocabulary that you’ve been learning. It uses your viewed
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