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How to use the different forms of TOUT in French
There are so many different ways to use TOUT, TOUS, TOUTE, TOUTES. Sometimes you pronounce the S on TOUS, and other times you donât. Test yourself with my mini-lesson on this grammar topic and get a handy chart with examples here.
Tout can be any of the following:
ADJECTIVE: Tous mes amis sont arrivés. All of my friends have arrived. |
ADVERB: Il faut continuer tout droit. You must continue straight ahead. |
NOUN: Il nâa rien mangĂ© du tout. He didnât eat anything at all. |
NEUTER PRONOUN: Tout va bien. Everything is ok. |
PLURAL PRONOUN: Ils sont tous partis. They all left.Pronounce the S when TOUS is a plural pronoun. |
TOUT as an adjective
As an adjective, TOUT has four forms.
tout | masculine singular |
toute | feminine singular |
tous (donât pronounce the S) | masculine plural |
toutes | feminine plural |
TOUT as an adjective can modify nouns
toute aide | all help |
tout droit | every right |
tout Ăąge | every age |
toute sollicitation | every request |
Ă toute heure | at all times |
TOUT as an adjective can be used before definite articles
tout lâavion | the whole plane |
toute la classe | the whole class |
tout le monde | everyone |
tous les enfants | all the children |
toutes les chaises | all the chairs |
TOUT can be used before possessive adjectives
tous mes cousins | all of my cousins |
toutes ses voitures | all of his / her cars |
toute ma vie | my whole life |
tout ton gĂąteau | your whole cake |
TOUT can be used before demonstrative adjectives
toute cette classe | this whole class |
tous ces devoirs | all of this homework |
toutes ces étudiantes | all of these (female) students |
tout ce temps | all of this time |
TOUT as an adverb
TOUT can be an adverb when it is in front of an adjective or another adverb. TOUT as an adverb is invariable. This is the only way you can write it. It means VERY, COMPLETELY, EXTREMELY, ENTIRELY.
tout droit | straight ahead |
tout doucement | very slowly |
tout à cÎté | right next to |
tout Ă gauche | all the way to the left |
The adverb TOUT with adjectives
Since TOUT as an adverb is invariable, even if the masculine adjective is plural you need to use TOUT and not TOUS.
Il est tout content dâĂȘtre avec moi. | Heâs very happy to be with me. |
Ils sont tout tristes. *Notice the subject is plural, but tout doesnât change to tous. | They are very sad. |
TOUT gets a little tricky with feminine adjectives. For both singular and plural adjectives that begin with a vowel or a mute H, tout stays invariable. However, when a feminine adjective begins with a consonant or a pronounced H, you need to go ahead and use TOUTE or TOUTES if the adjective is plural. This is a huge exception to the rule on how to use TOUT as an adverb.
Diane a mangé la pizza tout entiÚre. *Despite the fact that entiÚre is feminine (because of la pizza), tout stays in its invariable state. | Diane ate the whole pizza. |
Câest une toute petite fille. | Sheâs a very small girl. |
Ces assiettes sont toutes brillantes. | These plates are very shiny. |
Tout as a pronoun
A pronoun replaces a noun. Think of il and elle, for example, these are pronouns because they replace a person or a masculine or feminine thing. As a pronoun TOUT means all, everything, or everyone. It only has 3 different forms: TOUT – TOUS – TOUTES
The pronunciation of TOUS as a pronoun is special and really important. You pronounce the S at the end, even if the first letter of the next word is a consonant.
Tout va bien, merci. *In this case, TOUT is a neuter pronoun replacing a thing or an idea, but never a person. It means EVERYTHING or ALL. | Everythingâs going well, thank you. |
Mes enfants sont tous adorables. *pronounce the S | My kids are all adorable. |
Les filles sont toutes allées aux toilettes. | The girls all went to the bathroom. |
Something tricky to keep in mind
Since TOUT can be used as both an adverb and a pronoun, sometimes the way you use it in a sentence can really change the meaning. The only way you can know the true meaning of the sentences below is pronunciation. In the first example, you must pronounce the S because TOUS is a pronoun.
Ils sont tous contents de partir en vacances. TOUS is a pronoun and you pronounce the S. | They are all happy to go on vacation. They are all truly touched. Each person is happy. |
Ils sont tout contents de partir en vacances. | They are very happy to go on vacation. |
Les enfants sont tous contents. TOUS is a pronoun and it comes after the subject and verb. Pronounce the S. | Tous les enfants sont contents. TOUS is an adjective and it comes before the subject and verb. Do not pronounce the S. |
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