The expressions tout le, toute la, tous les, and toutes les are used to talk about the whole of something or all of several things. They agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they modify.
1. Agreement of tout
Tout changes depending on the gender and number of the following noun:
- tout le + masculine singular noun → tout le matin (all morning)
- toute la + feminine singular noun → toute la journée (the whole day)
- tous les + masculine plural noun → tous les enfants (all the children)
- toutes les + feminine plural noun → toutes les maisons (all the houses)
2. Meaning
These expressions mean “the whole of” or “each/every” depending on the context.
- Tout le jour, il pleut. (It’s raining all day.) → (for the entire day)
- Tous les dimanches, nous allons au marché. (Every Sunday, we go to the market.) → (each Sunday)
3. Examples
- Je travaille tout le matin. (I work all morning.)
- Elle étudie toute la nuit. (She studies all night.)
- Nous nous téléphonons tous les jours. (We call each other every day.)
- Ils visitent toutes les villes de la région. (They visit all the towns in the region.)