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Timely French Expression
| Meanings | just now, a moment ago in a moment, right away |
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| Literally | all at the time | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[too tah leur] |
| IPA | [tu ta lœʁ] | |
Usage notes: The French expression tout à l’heure is what’s known as a contronym or auto-antonym: it is the opposite of itself. Tout à l’heure indicates a short period of time, whether in the recent past or the near future.
Par exemple…
| Il est parti tout à l’heure. | He just left, He left a moment ago. | |
| Il va partir tout à l’heure. | He’s about to leave, He’s leaving in a moment. |
Abbreviation: à tout, texting: a tt
Semi-synonyms
- à l’instant – a moment ago, just now (used for the past; also means "right now")
- tout de suite – immediately, right away (only used for the future)
The parting expression à tout à l’heure and its informal variation à tout mean "See you soon."
À toute allure, meaning "as fast as one can, at top speed, full tilt," can sound identical to à tout à l’heure to non-native speakers. The vowel sounds in the final syllables are the only difference in pronunciation – here are the IPA symbols:
- [œ] ("eu" in heure)
- [y] ("u" in allure)
En anglais
WWI soldiers deformed à tout à l’heure into "toot-a-loo" when they brought it into English. (Also see ça ne fait rien and tout de suite.)
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