Pronunciation of 'tous'

Michael D.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Pronunciation of 'tous'

I thought 'tous' was pronounced 'too' unless it was used as a pronoun meaning 'all (of us/them)'.

But in the example:

Je veux que vous ayez tous votre exam.

'tous' is pronounced 'Toos'.

Is this correct? If so, why?

Asked 6 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Michael,

Yes , the pronunciation of tous is correct and should sound the 's' .

Take a look at the following lesson for further explanation:

Tout/tous/toute/toutes = Everything/all (of them)/whole/completely in French

Just another little point -

In your answer to Chris, it should be 'je ne le savais pas' as 'savoir' is a verb of state and you will hardly ever hear/see the passé composé used to say, 'I didn't know'.

It's a mistake I often read on this forum from students so just to put things right!

It is the same for verbs like être, sembler, paraître, croire, espérer...

Hope this helps!

 

 

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
It is used pronomially to refer to "vous".
Michael D.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Merci Chris. Je ne l'ai pas su. C'est bon à savoir.
Michael D.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Merci Cécile, je ne le savais pas.
Andrea N.B2Kwiziq community member
Tout/tous/toute/toutes = Everything/all (of them)/whole/completely in French.  This lesson provides an explanation of the  pronunciation of tous.
Michael D. asked:

Pronunciation of 'tous'

I thought 'tous' was pronounced 'too' unless it was used as a pronoun meaning 'all (of us/them)'.

But in the example:

Je veux que vous ayez tous votre exam.

'tous' is pronounced 'Toos'.

Is this correct? If so, why?

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