tout droit
/tu dʁwa/
The French phrase for 'straight ahead' is tout droit.
tout droit is an adverb used to indicate that one should proceed directly ahead without any deviation. You can use the more formal phrase directement devant vous to mean 'directly in front of you' when you want to add emphasis.
Meaning: directly ahead, without deviation (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tout, meaning 'all' or 'completely' and droit, meaning 'straight' or 'right'. Literally, it means 'all straight'.
How do you pronounce it?
/tu dʁwa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse tout droit (straight ahead) with tout à droite, which means 'all the way to the right'.
Did you know?
- In French, the word droit refers to both a straight line and the law, meaning a 'lawyer' is un avocat but the field of 'law' is le droit.
- While tout droit is used for directions, the phrase aller droit au but means to get straight to the point in a conversation.
- The word droit used in this phrase is a doublet of the English word 'direct', both descending from the same Latin root dīrēctus.
Examples in context
- Allez tout droit et vous verrez la banque.Go straight ahead and you will see the bank.This example shows how to use tout droit to give directions to a destination like a bank.Tatoeba #3258698 by Aiji, translation #3258699 by CM
- Va tout droit.Go straight ahead.This is a simple command using tout droit.Tatoeba #13455 by nimfeo, translation #269559 by CK
- Là, tout droit.There, straight ahead.This example uses tout droit to point out a location nearby.Tatoeba #883802 by sacredceltic, translation #403095 by Ramses
- Continuez tout droitKeep going straight ahead
- Le chemin continue en ligne droiteThe path continues straight ahead
- Le bâtiment est directement devant vousThe building is straight ahead, right in front of you
- Allez tout droit devant vousGo straight ahead
- Vous trouverez le restaurant en continuant tout droit sur cette rue.You will find the restaurant by going straight ahead on this street.
- Les magasins se trouvent tout droit devant toi lorsque tu sors du métro.The shops are straight ahead of you when you exit the metro.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo is asking for directions to the pharmacy.
- HugoOù se trouve la pharmacie, s'il vous plaît ?Where is the pharmacy, please?
- ManonContinuez tout droit jusqu'au feu rouge.Go straight ahead until the red light.
- HugoC'est loin d'ici ?Is it far from here?
- ManonNon, c'est juste là, tout droit.No, it's right there, straight ahead.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “straight ahead” translations and entries tout droit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries droit, tout, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
