tout
/tu/masculine
In French, 'everything' is said using tout.
The word is used as a pronoun to mean 'all the things'.
Meaning: all the things (pron)
Which one should you use?
In the sense of 'everything', tout is used as a singular pronoun, whereas tous or toutes are used for 'all' or 'everyone' in the plural.
How does it change in a sentence?
When 'everything' refers to a feminine noun or is used as an adjective modifying a feminine noun, the form changes to toute. The feminine plural form toutes is used when referring to 'all' of a group of feminine nouns. The masculine plural form tous is used when referring to 'all' of a group of masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/tu/
Did you know?
- In the masculine plural form tous, the 's' is usually silent, but when the word is used as a pronoun meaning 'everyone', the 's' must be pronounced /tus/.
- The word tout shares an ancestor with the English word 'total', both originating from the Latin 'tōtus'.
- The phrase tout court means 'plain and simple' or 'period', used to indicate that there is nothing more to be added to a statement.
Examples in context
- Il a tout vu.He saw everything.This sentence shows how to use tout to mean 'everything' in the context of seeing.Tatoeba #2283307 by sacredceltic, translation #2282432 by Hybrid
- Tout va bien ?Is everything okay?This sentence shows how to use tout to ask if 'everything' is okay.Tatoeba #1958819 by Sbgodin, translation #273689 by CK
- Il a tout nié.He denied everything.This sentence shows how to use tout to mean 'everything' in the context of denial.Tatoeba #2196365 by sacredceltic, translation #2195254 by Hybrid
- comment ça va-tu?How are you?
- 2196 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are packing for a trip.
- EmmaTu as tout préparé ?Have you prepared everything?
- HugoOui, j'ai tout mis dans le sac.Yes, I put everything in the bag.
- EmmaC'est super, Hugo.That's great, Hugo.
- HugoOn est prêts pour le départ.We are ready to leave.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “everything” translations and entries tout, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tout, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
