Dernière fois

Question

I got this wrong:
"C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." means:
Mauvais:
It was last time that you told me you loved me.
Correcte:
It was the last time you told me you loved me
Was it the last of several times and in that last time 'tu m'a dit que tu m'aimais.'
Or...
Was it the last time (of several times 'tu m'a dit que tu m'aimais') ?
The former implies something like 'in our last meeting you told me you loved me.'
The latter implies the final time you told me you love me (and you have not since)
Me me suis perplexe.

Accepted Answer

Hi Michael,
The meaning will depend on the context .
If you say to someone:
"C'est la dernière fois que tu me parles comme ça" , it will sound like an ultimatum, meaning the final time.
Compared with :
"Tu m'as dit ça la dernière fois qu'on s'est vus." = "You told me that the last time we met."
Without more context I can't help you with the example you cite.

Answer

According to a native French speaker "la fois dernière" sounds stilted and is hardly ever used. She would use "la dernière fois" to express both meanings: the last time ever, as well as the last time in an ongoing succession.

-- Chris (not a native speaker).