# tous (prononciation & liaison)



## KittyCatty

When does one pronounce the *s* at the end of tous? my french exchange family did but i had never learnt to do this, and didn't know when i should or should not do this. thanks/merci en avance, KittyCatty xxxxx

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads merged to create this one. For a discussion of the _grammatical_ aspects of _tous_ (pronoun vs. adjective) please see FR: tout / toute / tous / toutes.


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## Agnès E.

Tous can be a pronoun or an adjective:

- J'ai mangé tous les gâteaux ! (adjective)
- Les gâteaux ? Je les ai tous mangés ! (pronoun)

When it is an adjective, the _s_ stays mute (too les)
When it is a pronoun, the _s_ is pronounced (toos mangés)

You could memorize it that way: *pronoun = pronounced*


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## englishman

Is there a simple rule that explains when to pronounce "tous" like "too" (à l'anglais) and when to pronounce it like "toos". 

This is baffling me, and I suspect it's quite obvious.


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## heydzatsmi

Yes, at the end of the sentence :
_nous tous. _
and when the word after tous begin with a voyel :
_Tous *é*gaux / Nous irons tous *a*u bois....._

But when we say :
_Nous sommes tous là_ we say toos....

So there are surely a lot of exceptions............


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## marget

I believe there is a rule.  The final "s" of tous is not pronounced when it is used as an adjective.  "Je connais tous les étudiants.  It is pronounced, however, when it is used as a pronoun.  Je les connais tou*s.*


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## itka

You're perfectly right !


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## caserfacer

Quelquefois on prononce le "s" à la fin de "tous" aussi.  Est-ce qu'il y a quelqu'un qui peut m'expliquer quand?  merci!


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## geostan

Yes, when it's a pronoun.

Je les ai tous vus. [tus]


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## coiffe

I believe _Tous sont ici _is pronounced like "tousse". But I wonder what the rule is -- it must be simple. I believe it is that when _tous_ is used as a pronoun, it is pronounced "tousse." But is there more to it -- or is that even correct?

Merci en avance --


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## broglet

I think the final 's' is only pronounced when it is used for 'everyone' - but I'd be interested to hear the truth from a French native speaker!


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## coiffe

Yes, the "everyone" is the indefinite pronoun use of _tous, _I'm sure you're right but I would also like to hear it confirmed by a native speaker!


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## pieanne

Yes, you're right, "tous" in the meaning of "everyone", or rather "all of them" is pronounced [touss(e)] (you don't pronounce the 'e' at the end)


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## coiffe

And that's the only time it's pronounced like that?


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## pieanne

No other instance comes to my mind...


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## Fez

In the following sentence, is "tous" pronounced with the "s" or without it?: Tous les hotels.

In practice I'm not sure when to pronounce the "s" so if anyone could give me a rule for this, that would be great

Thanks in advance,
Fez.


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## Einstein37

When «tous» is alone, you pronounce the s
When «tous» is followed by other words in the same sentence, you dont pronounce it.
For example: Je les aime tous (you pronounce the s)
                   J'aime tous les animaux (you dont pronounce it)

I hope this could help you!


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## RuK

I'm having trouble conceiving of a standard rule. 

On a tous été jeune, pronounce the ss. 
Tous les jouets, tous les jours - don't pronounce it.


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## Mezzofanti

The s is silent in the adjectival use but pronounced when the word is a pronoun.


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## Mezzofanti

> As you can see it depends on the word following "tous", the s is pronounced if the next word begins with a vowell and is not if it is a consonant.



I don't think so.  _On a tous été jeune_ and _on a tous mangé de la vache enragée _ont le "s" prononcé. The effect of a following vowel, inducing a liaison, would give the prononciation "z" rather then "ss".


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## Areyou Crazy

merci à tous

montaigne c'est la France la prononciation 'correcte' ? est tres importante ici! Meme - si c'est impossible pour les anglophone en toute façon!


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## caloune

Einstein37 (# 20) is almost right, but he forgot one case in which you have to prononce the final "s" in tou*s*

The rule is not just a matter of *tous* being alone or followed by other words. 
It also depends if *tous* refers to the direct object of the sentence: *tous les = all (all of them) *or to its subject in the plural form: *nous = us*

Let's study 3 examples:
1°) "Nous aimons *tous *les animaux" = _We like all animals_
*tous *refers to the direct object _(all of them) _but is followed by other words : you don't pronounce the final "s"
2°) "Les animaux, nous les aimons *tous*"= _Animals, we like them all_
*tous *refers to the direct object _(all of them)_ and is the last word of the sentence: you do pronounce the final "s"
3°) "Nous aimons *tous* les animaux" = _All of us, we do like animals_
*tous *refers to the subject _(all of us)_, and despite that *tous *is followed by other words, you do have to pronounce the final "s" otherwise the sentence will be understood as refering to the direct object <=> Example 1

So, in the sentence: "Nous aimons tous tous les animaux" = _All of us, we do like all animals_
the first *tous*: you pronounce the "s" _(refers to the subject)_
the second *tous*: you don't pronounce the "s" _(refers to the direct object and is followed by other words)_

This sentence is interesting, because there is absolutely no reason, in regard of french grammar, for what the final "s" of *tous* is sometimes pronounced and sometimes not !! _(logically, the final "s" should be pronounced in all cases)_
The rather strange case N°1 exists precisely to make a difference between *tous* refering to the subject or to the direct object, in the aim to make the meaning of the sentence understable for sure.

What is even stanger is that in the female form (toutes), you don't have this difference !!
For example, if you say: "Nous aimons *toutes* les baleines" _(baleine = whale is female gender in french),_ even for a french-speaking person it is absolutely impossible to know if the sentence means: 
_We like all whales_
or
_All of us, we like whales_
Sometimes, when earing such a sentence, you will have to ask for a confirmation: "By all, do you mean _whales_ or _you_ _(the girls talking for example)_ ???". Without an answer, you cannot decide !
That is why, in such a case, and to make sure that you will be clearly understood, you would probably say: "Nous aimons *toutes* *toutes* les baleines"

French is such a surprising language...! 
Good luck


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## yuechu

Bonjour,

J'aimerais savoir comment se prononce le mot "tous" dans l'expression "de tous horizons". Est-ce que c'est [tu] ou [tuz] ? (avec ou sans liaison ?)
Est-ce que c'est une abréviation pour "tous les horizons" ?

Merci d'avance !


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## joshuajohnlee

I would pronounce it [tus], as if horizons starts with an "s" itself.


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## aerach

Ça se prononce : [dətu*z*oʁizõ]


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## yuechu

Merci pour votre réponse, aerach ! C'est bien avec un [z]
joshuajohnlee : avec [s], ça change le sens du mot, je crois. ("tous" se prononce [tus] seulement dans le sens de "tout le monde", à ma connaissance)

Est-ce que c'est une liaison obligatoire ou facultative ?


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## Miya Tenaka

Avec la liaison, comme si "horizons" commençait par un z.

Dans le cas précis la liaison est obligatoire, car c'est une locution fixe (comme si c'était un seul mot).


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## letitavion

Bonjour,

Est-ce que ça veut dire que 'tous les deux' se prononce avec un S à la fin? Je ne suis pas sûr. De mon côté, je comprends que si on dit 'j'aime tous les tapis' le S est muet et si on dit 'bonjour à tous' il se prononce.

Merci en avance! Je prépare un petit discours pour mon école.

Lowell


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## Nicomon

Salut letitavion,

On ne prononce *pas* le « s » de « tous » dans « tous les deux ». 

Et bravo pour ton excellent parfait.


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## lectrice

Si *tous* est l'adjectif indéfini on ne prononce pas le* s *final. -
Si* tous *est le pronom indéfini on prononce  le* s *final
http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/tous


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## jamesk65

What is the correct pronunciation of the liaison "tou*s *ensemble", in "ils sont partis tous ensemle"  a sibilant /s/ or /z/?


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## moustic

tous(ss) ensemble


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## Gastarbeiter

So a bus driver would say "Descendez tous s'il vous plait !" with "tous" pronounced as "tousse"?


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## Nicomon

Welcome to the forum Gastarbeiter 

He would indeed pronouce it as « _tousse_ » if he said that way.


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## hijodechilenos

When "toutes" is followed by an adjective ("les chambres sont toutes_occupées", "les personnes sont toutes égales en droit"), an adverb ("elles vivent toutes_ensemble") or a participle ("elles sont toutes_arrivées"), is the liaison obligatory?


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## tartopom

I don't make the liaison in your 4 examples.


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## Nanon

@hijodechilenos , this is a case of optional liaison. Most speakers would say _toutoccupées, toutégalendroit, toutensemble, toutarrivées_. Only in very formal contexts you would hear _toutzégalendroit _(or, even more rarely, _toutzégalzendroit_).


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## tartopom

It also works with prepositions.
Elles sont toutes en retard.   _touten_
Elles sont toutes à pied.    _touta_


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## hijodechilenos

@Nanon thank you, I hear this liaison on the radio and tv, but I don't think I've heard it in spontaneous speech.


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## Locape

Yes, I don't make the liaison either in spoken language, but I would make it if I have to read it aloud, especially in literature.


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## FC Barcelona

Greetings. I have a doubt. I read that when "tous" is a pronom we don't have to pronounce the letter "S". In this sentence, do we have to pronounce it?

Je les aime tou*s*

I'm not sure if that "tous" is a pronom


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## Bezoard

FC Barcelona said:


> I read that when "tous" is a pronom we don't have to pronounce the letter "S".


It is wrong.
Yes, "tous" is a pronoun and you have to pronounce the "s". […]


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## FC Barcelona

I read on a post from 2007, that we don't have to pronounce the letter "*S*" of tous when it's acting as an adjective. 
We should only pronounce it when it is a pronoun. For example, as long I understand, we do have to pronounce it in these phrases:

1. Ils sont tou*s* sympathiques
2. Je les connais tou*s*
3. Ils sont tou*s* là

What bout these sentences, do we have to pronounce it?

4. Je les aime tou*S*
5. Je vais tou*S* les lire

I think we do but I'm not sure. I'm sorry for opening a new post.


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## olivier68

Hi,

In these 5 examples, you have to pronounce the "s".


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