One word, four jobs. Find the job and the spelling follows.
Tout is one of the first words learners meet (tout le monde, tout de suite, c'est tout) and one of the last they spell with confidence. It changes form, tout, toute, tous or toutes, depending on its job in the sentence, and its s is pronounced in some places and silent in others.
Here is how to use tout in French, job by job, with the agreement and the pronunciation for each.
Spot the job first. The spelling follows from it.
Before a noun, tout takes the gender and number of that noun, in the same way as French adjective agreement. Find the noun, check whether it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and match it.
| Form | Noun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| tout | masculine singular | tout le gâteau | the whole cake |
| toute | feminine singular | toute la nuit | the whole night |
| tous | masculine plural | tous les jours | every day |
| toutes | feminine plural | toutes les semaines | every week |
Without an article, tout means "every" or "any": tout élève doit rendre son devoir, every pupil must hand in the homework.
On its own, singular tout means everything and never agrees: tout va bien, j'ai tout compris, c'est tout.
Tous and toutes stand for a group already named and take its gender. J'ai invité mes cousins, ils sont tous venus. Mes sœurs ? Elles sont toutes parties. A mixed group takes the masculine tous.
Like most final consonants in French, the s of tous is usually silent, as the page on French silent letters explains. The pronoun is the exception.
The difference carries meaning. Ils sont tout contents (they are very happy) and ils sont tous contents (all of them are happy) differ in writing and in sound.
Before an adjective, tout means "completely" or "very". It is an adverb and normally stays tout: ils sont tout contents, elle est tout étonnée, la ville tout entière.
The exception: before a feminine adjective that starts with a consonant or an aspirated h, it agrees. The spelling follows the sound, since the t of toute is pronounced.
| Adjective | Starts with | Write | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | anything | tout | Ils sont tout contents. |
| feminine | a vowel | tout | Elle est tout étonnée. |
| feminine | a silent h | tout | Elles sont tout heureuses. |
| feminine | a consonant | toute | Elle est toute petite. |
| feminine | an aspirated h | toute | Elle est toute honteuse. |
These come up constantly and never change form, whoever you are talking about.
Before you write tout, ask what it is doing. Before a noun, it agrees. Alone, it is tout for everything and tous or toutes for a group. Before an adjective, it stays tout unless the adjective is feminine and starts with a consonant. The rule page on the agreement of tout has more examples to practise with, and Apostrophe· dictates sentences like these and explains the rule whenever you get one wrong.
Is tout le monde singular or plural?
Singular. Tout le monde means everybody, but the verb stays singular: tout le monde est là, tout le monde a compris.
What does tout de suite mean?
Right away, immediately. It never changes form, whoever you are talking to or about.
When is the s of tous pronounced?
When tous is a pronoun standing for people or things already named: ils sont tous là. Before a noun, as in tous les jours, the s is silent.
Why is it toute petite but tout entière?
Before an adjective, tout is an adverb and normally stays tout. It only agrees before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant or an aspirated h, so toute petite, but tout entière.
Tout contents or tous contents?
Both exist, with different meanings. Ils sont tout contents means they are very happy; ils sont tous contents means all of them are happy, and there the s is pronounced.
Apostrophe· reads you a sentence, corrects it word by word, and explains the exact rule behind each mistake.
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