28.26: Part 3: 25 THE THREE FACES OF "TOUT"

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25 THE THREE FACES OF "TOUT"

Tout can mean "all," or "every," or "(the) whole," or even "very", depending on its syntactic function and the context in which it is used. It can have, as an adjective, four forms: tout, toute, tous, and toutes, but it is invariable in some other functions. Let's take one syntactic function at a time.

25.1 The Adjective "Tout"

In this use, tout is normally followed by a determiner, usually the definite article.

J'ai mangé tout le pain.	I ate all the bread.
Elle y est restée toute la nuit.	She stayed there all night.
Tous les soldats sont partis.	All (of) the soldiers left.
Il a parlé à toutes les étudiantes.	He spoke to all the (female) students.

25.2 The Adverb "Tout"

In this use, tout is similar in meaning to très or fort it is an intensifier. Although adverbs are usually invariable, tout occurs with -e before feminine adjectives that begin with a consonant or aspirate h.

J'étais tout heureux de le voir.	I was very happy to see him.
Elle était toute surprise de le voir.	She was very surprised to see him.

25.3 The Pronoun "Tout"

There are two possibilities here: either there is a clear antecedent or there is not.

a. With a clear antecedent, tout agrees with its antecedent (either masculine or feminine plural).

Tu vois ces roses? Elles sont toutes très jolies.	You see these roses? They're all very pretty.
Mes étudiants sont très gentils. Ils sont tous²⁵ venus me voir à l'hôpital.	My students are very nice. They all came to see me at the hospital.

²⁵ As a pronoun (never as an adjective), tous is pronounced /tus/, with the final -s heard.

b. When there's no clear antecedent, one uses only tout.

J'ai compris tout ce qu'il a dit.

I understood everything he said.