5.6: Grammaire

L'adjectif "tout"

Tout means 'all' or 'every' when it modifies a noun. It agrees in number and gender with the noun that follows. See the table below.

These forms of tout are most often used with the definite articles le, les, la, l', but they may also be used with a possissive determiner.

Example: Shasta joue au football toute sa vie. Astérix et Obélix ont mangé tout le repas.

Les pronoms "tout", "tous", "toutes"

Tout is invariable when it functions as the indefinite pronoun meaning 'everything' or 'all'.

Example: Tout s'est bien passé pendant le match de foot hier.

The plural pronouns tous and toutes agree with the nouns they replace.

Example: Mes profs de français sont excellents. Je les adore tous !

Bonjour à toutes mes étudiantes et à tous mes étudiants ! Bonjour à toutes et à tous !

L'adverbe "tout"

Tout may also be an adverb meaning 'all,' 'completely,' or 'quite' when it modifies another adverb, a preposition, or an adjective. Although tout is invariable before an adverb, a preposition or a masculine adjective, the feminine forms toute and toutes are used before feminine adjectives beginning with a consonant.

Example: Le costume de Shasta est tout neuf et la robe de Sasha est toute neuve. Shasta et Sasha parlent tout doucement.

Below is a list of common idiomatic phrases with tout.

La formation du conditionnel

The conditional is used to refer to hypothetical events. It occurs in polite requests and most frequently with if clauses. In French, it is called le conditionnel and is most often translated by would in English. The stem used to form the conditional is the same as the stem of the simple future (usually the infinitive). The conditional endings are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient (These are also the imperfect endings).

Les usages du conditionnel

1. Wishes and requests. The conditional expresses potentiality. It is used to express a wish or a suggestion, to make a request, or to accept or extend invitations. It is less direct and more polite than the imperative. The verbs 'pouvoir', 'vouloir', and 'devoir' are often found in the conditional to diminish the strength of a command. In most cases, the conditional is translated as meaning would in English. However, je pourrais means 'I could', je devrais means 'I should' and je voudrais means 'I would like'.

For example:  Tu devrais essayer d'apprendre mieux le français.

Also do not confuse 'would' in English meaning 'used to' which should be translated as an imparfait in French, and NOT as the conditional: A Paris, j'allais au MacDo tous les jours. 

2. Hypothetical action. The conditional is used when making statements which are contrary to present facts. It expresses a hypothethical result which depends on (stated or implied) circumstances which do not exist. In order for the action expressed by the conditional to occur, something else must take place first. Note that the condition in the si or if clause, is always stated in the imparfait.

For example:  Si j'étais riche, je partirais en voyage.

3. Possibility and uncertainty. The conditional is also used to give information whose accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Journalists often use it to report events which are not known to be true.

For example: Une tornade vient de s'abattre sur Texas. Il y aurait plusieurs victimes.

4. Reported speech. In addition, the conditional is used to represent the future in relation to a narration in the past when reported speech is used to tell what someone said.

For example: Mon père a dit qu'il rentrerait dans deux semaines.

Si clauses

Si clauses (if clauses in English) indicate possibilities, which may or may not become reality. They refer to the present, past, and future. These conditional sentences have two parts: the condition, or si clause, and the main or result clause which indicates what will happen if the condition of the si clause is met.

The tense of the result clause depends on the tense of the si clause. In other words, the tense of the two clauses follow a prescribed sequence.

The first type of si clause is used in cases where the condition may be fulfilled and thus the consequence is seen as possible. In this type of clause use present after si, and either present, future or imperative in the main clause.

For example: Si Shasta veut jouer au foot demain, il le fera!

The second type of si clause is contrary to fact in the present. The consequence is thus seen as impossible. In this type of clause use imparfait after si, and conditionnel in the main clause.

For example: Si j'étais riche, je ne travaillerais pas.

Below you see the tables that summarize the 1st and the 2nd types of si clauses.