Tout sur tout (All About Tout)
Expressions Using the Word Tout
Table of Contents
- I. Much About Tout
- II. Expressions with Tout
- à tout bout de champ
- à tout hasard
- à tout jamais
- à tout prix
- (une) bonne à tout faire
- en tout cas (= dans tous les cas)
- (un) homme à tout faire
- pas du tout
- tout au long (de)
- tout aussi (adjectif) que
- tout à coup (= tout d’un coup)
- tout à fait
- tout à l’heure
- tout bien considéré (= tout compte fait)
- tout compris
- tout compte fait
- tout d’abord
- tout de même (= quand-même)
- tout de suite
- tout d’un coup
- tout droit
- tout le monde
- tout-puissant
- III. Tout in Context
I. Much About Tout
The French word tout is sometimes an adjective (that is, used together with a noun), sometimes a pronoun (used as a stand-alone form), and sometimes an adverb.
A. The Adjective
The forms are: tout tous toute toutes . Note that in the masculine plural form the final (and unpronounced) t has disappeared: tous. Learn these two important uses of the adjective:
1. With a Determiner (especially the definite article)
The meaning of tout + definite article + noun is: all of the thing, whether singular or plural. Note the difference in translation between singular and plural:
- tout le livre = “the whole book, the entire book”
- tous les livres = “all the books”
Here are some examples of tout used with other determiners:
- tout un drame = “a whole drama, a big production, an incredible series of events” (i.e., “like something out of a play”). tout un roman has the same meaning.
- tous mes enfants = “All My Children”
- toute cette sorte de choses = “all that kind of thing”
Note also the use of adjective tout with the indefinite relative pronoun: tout ce qui, tout ce que. Literally, the words mean “all that which,” but English will usually translate them as “all that” or even simple “all.”
- Tout ce qui est de l’or ne brille pas. (All that is gold does not glisten.)
- C’était tout ce qu’il a dit. (That was all he said.)
2. Without a Determiner
Tout when followed directly by a singular noun means “every, each, any”:
- Toute personne munie d’un billet aura droit d’entrée. (Any/Every person with a ticket will have right of entrance.)
- Tout condamné à mort aura la tête tranchée. (Every [person] condemned to death will have hizzer head cut off.)
- On brûlera tout livre venant de l’étranger. (We will burn any book coming from abroad.)
Remember These Three:
- tout livre = “any book, every book, each book”
- tout le livre = “the whole book, the entire book”
- tous les livres = “all the books”
B. The Pronoun
1. The Singular Masculine tout = “all, everything”
- Tout comprendre, c’est tout pardonner. (To understand all is to forgive all.)
- J’ai tout vu. (I saw everthing.)
- Tout n’est pas perdu. (All is not lost.)
- Je réponds de tout. (I[‘ll] take charge of everything, I[‘ll] take responsibility for everything.)
2. Masculine Plural tous and Feminine Plural toutes
Grammarians call these forms pronouns, but I have my doubts. They are always used in support of a personal pronoun, usually separated from it by the verb. The corresponding English construction is very similar:
- “We were all very gay, we were all very merry– / We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.” –Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Recuerdo”
- I told them all to buzz off.
Compare to these French examples, in which the tout form always comes after the verb:
- Nous croyons tous la même chose. (We all think the same thing.)
- Tous reinforces the subject pronoun nous.
- « Ils sont tous entrés aux royaumes lumineux. » (“They are all gone into the realms of light.”) – Henry Vaughan
- Tous reinforces the subject pronoun ils.
- Je les connais tous. Je les connais toutes. (I know them all.)
- Tous/toutes reinforces the direct object pronoun les.
- On les a tous remerciés. On les a toutes remerciées. (We thanked them all.)
- Tous/toutes reinforces the direct object pronoun les.
- Il leur a exprimé à tous (OU à toutes) sa reconnaissance. (He expressed his gratitude to them all.)
- À tous/toutes reinforces the indirect object leur.
It may also occur following the personal pronoun form:
- Nous tous, nous sommes coupables de la même faute. (All of us, we are guilty of the same fault.)
- Je tiens à exprimer à vous tous/toutes ma reconnaissance. (I really must express my gratitude to you all.)
Pronounce the “S” of This Disjunctive Tous
When the masculine plural form tous is used in this disjoined and emphatic way, the final s is sounded: [tus].
C. The Adverb
The base form tout can be used as an intensifying adverb, meaning “completely, entirely.”
- tout intelligent, tout blanc, tout noir, tout content (completely intelligent, white, black, happy)
Adverbs, since they do not modify nouns, do not show gender or number. Hence:
- Nous sommes tout contents de votre travail. (We are quite pleased with your work.)
- Elle est tout étonnée de la nouvelle. (She is quite astonished by the news.)
However, quite illogically (but understandably, since tout is on other occasions an adjective), when the person or thing in question is feminine, the French have come to expect a final “t” sound even though tout is here an adverb. So you will see:
- La terre était toute blanche. (The ground was completely white.)
However, all they care about is hearing the second “t” sound; hence, you will never see toutes in this kind of construction:
- Leurs robes étaient toute blanches. (Their gowns were entirely white.)
Moreover, if the adjective begins with a vowel, and hence requiring the second t to be pronounced in liaison, they go back to the base tout form:
- Elles étaient tout étonnées. (They were completely astonished.)
D. The Indefinite “However” Construction with the Subjunctive
We are still dealing with tout as an intensifying adverb here, but used in conjunction with a subordinate clause in the subjunctive, the resulting idea being indefinite:
- Tout beau, intelligent et riche que tu sois, je ne t’épouserai jamais. (However handsome, intelligent, and rich you may be, I will never wed you.)
The construction may make sense somewhat in this way: “Completely handsome, intelligent, and rich though you may be…”
For the adverb tout may be substituted four other words, all likewise functioning here as an intensifying adverb (whatever they may be in other circumstances):
- Aussi beau que tu sois, je ne t’épouserai pas.
- Si beau que tu sois, je ne t’épouserai pas.
- Pour beau que tu sois, je ne t’épouserai pas.
- Quelque beau que tu sois, je ne t’épouserai pas.
II. Expressions with Tout
Tout as adjective, pronoun, and adverb is used in many set expressions. I recommend your eventually learning all of the following. (The order is alphabetical.)
à tout bout de champ
= “all over the place.” Literally, “at every end of the field.”
à tout hasard
= “just in case, on the off-chance”
à tout jamais
= “for ever (and ever)”
à tout prix
= “at any price”)
(une) bonne à tout faire
= “a maid.” Literally, a woman able to do anything/everything.
en tout cas (= dans tous les cas)
= “in any case”
(un) homme à tout faire
= “a jack-of-all-trades”
pas du tout
= “not at all”
tout au long (de)
= “all along, all through”
tout aussi (adjectif) que
= “just as (adjective) as”
tout à coup (= tout d’un coup)
= “all at once, suddenly.” 1
tout à fait
= “completely”
tout à l’heure
= “very soon, in just a bit” (OR: “a short while ago”)
tout bien considéré (= tout compte fait)
= “everything considered”
tout compris
= “everything included” (in a price)
tout compte fait
= “everything considered”
tout d’abord
= “first of all, in the very first place”
tout de même (= quand-même)
= “all the same, even so”
tout de suite
= “immediately, right away”
tout d’un coup
= “all at once, suddenly.” OR: “at one blow, in one fell swoop” 1
tout droit
= “straight (ahead)”
tout le monde
= “everyone”
tout-puissant
= “almighty”
III. Tout in Context
Mais priez Dieu que tous nous veuille absoudre.
But pray (to) God that he may choose to absolve us all. – François Villon
Tout tout de suite! Voilà sa devise.
(Give me) Everything right now! That’s her motto. – Georges Bernanos
Tout ce qui n’est pas clair, n’est pas suisse.
Whatever is not clear is not Swiss.– Peter Dembowski (with reference to a Swiss colleague)
Tout entier! tout entier! tout entier en chaque lieu!
Entirely present! Entirely present! Entirely present in each spot! –Olivier Messiæn. Trois petites liturgies
Ce n’est plus une ardeur en mes veines cachée; / C’est Vénus tout entière à sa proie attachée!
It is no longer a burning hidden in my blood; / It is Venus in her totality clasping her victim! – Jean Racine
Tous hommes n’ont pas bon sens rassis.
All men have not good settled sense.– François Villon
La chair est triste, hélas! et j’ai lu tous les livres.
The flesh gets you down, too bad; and I’ve read all the books there are. – Stéphane Mallarmé, “Brise marine”
- Some make a distinction between tout à coup and tout d’un coup. See Laura Lawless on the subject.[↩][↩]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Thank you so much for your resources. They have been so helpful for me.
One minor typo in Section I, C: you have “quite” where you meant “white.” (or perhaps you were going for “quite white”?)
Leurs robes étaient toute blanches. (Their gowns were entirely ‘quite.’)
Thanks and thanks for catching the mistake. I’ll correct it.