Forms of Tout
As an adjective, tout precedes and agrees with the noun.
|
masc. sing. |
tout le train |
the whole train |
|
fem. sing. |
toute la journée |
the whole day |
|
masc. pl. |
tous les enfants |
all the kids |
|
fem. pl. |
toutes les mères |
all the moms |
As a pronoun, tout can be used alone; it then means everything and is invariable. Tout va bien. Everything's fine. Je ne peux pas tout faire. I can't do everything.
It can also reinforce the subject as in: Ils sont tous là. They are all here.
Tout can also be used with direct object pronouns. The forms of tout follow the verb in a simple tense and go between the auxiliary and pastparticiple in a compound tense. Je les ai toutes. I have them all. Je ne les ai pas tous eu. I didn't have them all.
Note: The s of tous is pronounced when tous is a pronoun.
Idiomatic Expressions with Tout
|
en tout cas |
in any case |
|
tout le monde |
everyone |
|
tout de suite |
right away |
|
de toute façon |
anyway |
|
tout à fait |
completely |
|
toutes sortes de |
all kinds of |
|
pas du tout |
not at all |
|
malgré tout |
in spite of it all |
|
tout à l'heure |
in a little while |
