Language/French/Grammar/Form-and-uses-of-tout
tout can function as a determiner, a quantifier, a pronoun and an adverb. It behaves differently with respect to agreement in each of these roles, so it is important to distinguish them.
Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in written, but not spoken & Reflexive pronouns.
tout as a determiner[edit | edit source]
tout is a determiner in constructions like the following. Here there is no article and tout agrees with the noun which it determines:
- Tout parent veut le bien de son enfant
Every parent wants what is best for his or her child
- Toutes taxes comprises
All taxes included
- Les repas sont servis à toute heure
Meals are served at any time
- Ils sont venus à toute vitesse
They came as quickly as they could
- Un tel costume convient à toute occasion
Such a suit can be worn on any occasion
tout as a quantifier[edit | edit source]
tout is a quantifier (see Chapter 6.9) in the following examples. Its translation equivalent in English is usually 'all'. It agrees with the noun which it modifies:
- Tous les garçons sont arrivés
All the boys have arrived
- Toutes les chansons qu'ils passent sur cette chaîne sont dépassées
All the songs they play on that station are out of date
- Il s'en est plaint toute la journée
He complained about it all day
tout as a pronoun[edit | edit source]
tout is a pronoun when it is used as a subject, direct object, indirect object or follows a preposition. When it has the indefinite meaning 'everything, all' it is invariable:
- Tout bien considéré, j'ai décidé de ne pas le faire
All things considered, I've decided not to do it
- Tu m'avais dit que tout serait réglé avant ce soir
You told me that everything would be sorted out by this evening
When it refers to people or things mentioned or implied elsewhere in the discourse, it agrees in gender and number with those entities, and takes one of the forms tout, toute, tous, toutes. In this use the final -s of tous is pronounced:
- Nous sommes infiniment redevables à tous (final -s pronounced)
We are eternally grateful to everyone
- Nous allons chanter tous ensemble (final -s pronounced)
We'll all sing together
- Je n'aime plus ces chansons. Toutes sont dépassées
I don't like these songs anymore. They are alt out of date
tout as an adverb[edit | edit source]
tout is an adverb when it modifies another adverb, a preposition or an adjective. It has the meaning of 'completely, very'. In front of an adverb or preposition it is invariable:
- Elle chante tout bas
She is singing very quietly
- Son succès était tout bonnement la meilleure surprise de l'année
His success was quite simply the best surprise of the year
- Tu fais tout de travers
You do everything the wrong way round
In front of an adjective it agrees if the adjective is feminine and begins with a consonant:
- Les petites filles étaient toutes désemparées par l'annonce de la directrice
The little girls were completely taken aback by the headmistress's announcement
- Tes soeurs sont toutes prêtes à venir te rejoindre
Your sisters are quite ready to come out and pin you
Agreement is optional in front of adjectives which are feminine and begin with a vowel or a silent h:
- Tu sais bien que ta soeur serait tout (or toute) heureuse de te revoir
You know full well that your sister would be delighted to see you again
- Les petites chattes étaient tout (or toutes) excitées par les mouvement de la bobine de fil
The little kittens were thoroughly excited by the movements of the cotton reel
Videos[edit | edit source]
Tout, toute, tous, toutes in French[edit | edit source]
Practise your French TOUT - "Tout, toutes, tous, toute"[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]
- https://www.amazon.fr/s?k=9780340991244
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziOn8nd5eT4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAZPjDkHV-g
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Auxiliaries
- Agreement of the past participle with the subject of “être”
- Active Voice and Passive Voice
- Directly transitive verbs
- Ambiguity of reference of lui and leur
- Negations
- Degree adverbs
- Use of the neutral pronoun le
- Fused forms of the definite article
- "de" when an adjective precedes the noun
- Unstressed and Stressed Pronouns
- Verbs which are directly transitive in French
- Nouns with irregular plurals
- Conjugation group 3
- Homophones