Tout d’un coup

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French Expression

Meaning	all at once; ~ all of a sudden
Literally	all in one blow
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[too doo(n) koo]
IPA		[tu dœ̃ ku]

Usage notes: The French expression tout d’un coup is used with two kind of similar meanings, but one of them is wrong.

The real meaning of tout d’un coup is “all at once, in a single move, in one fell swoop.”

Par exemple…

Le séisme a détruit le village tout d’un coup.		The earthquake destroyed the town in one fell swoop.
Tout d’un coup, il a saisi ses affaires et est parti.		All at once, he grabbed his things and left.

Synonyms

• d’un seul coup
• d’un trait (with a verb like boire or avaler)
• en une seule fois
• en une seule gorgée (boire, avaler)

 Tout d’un coup is an indicator that you need the passé composé rather than imparfait.

 Faux synonym

Native French speakers commonly – but mistakenly – use tout d’un coup to mean tout à coup.

xxx Tout d’un coup, la voiture s’est retournée. xxx		xxx All of a sudden, the car flipped over. xxx Really means: In a single move, the car flipped over.
xxx Je lisais quand tout d’un coup j’ai eu une idée. xxx		xxx I was reading when I suddenly had an idea. xxx Really means: I was reading when I had an idea all at once.

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