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Essential French Expression
| Meaning | all of a sudden | |
| Literally | all at (a) blow | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[too ta koo] |
| IPA | [tu ta ku] | |
Usage notes: The French expression tout à coup is used to express that something happened suddenly, without warning or expectation.
Par exemple…
| Tout à coup, la voiture s’est retournée. | All of a sudden, the car flipped over. | |
| Je lisais quand tout à coup j’ai eu une idée. | I was reading when I suddenly had an idea. |
Tout à coup in action
Example of tout à coup in a real-life video from Lawless French Immersion:
| Et tout à coup, paf ! On finit par ressortir ailleurs. | And suddenly, bam! You end up coming out elsewhere. | |
| Video: Secret passages: the traboules of Lyon | ||
Synonyms
- brusquement
- de but en blanc
- soudain
- soudainement
- subitement
Faux synonym: Tout d’un coup is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for tout à coup.
Tout à coup is an indicator that you need the passé composé rather than imparfait.
Related lessons
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