 | |
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
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. |
(Tout) d’un coup in action
Examples of (tout) d’un coup in real-life videos 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 | ||
| Ça s’allume d’un coup et ça éclaire le monde et la vie différemment | It lights up suddenly and it illuminates the world and life differently | |
| Video: Grand Corps Malade & Camille Lellouche – Mais je t’aime | ||
| 25 % d’un coup à un moment où les vins partent, eh ben… | 25% all of a sudden, just when wines are sent, well… | |
| Video: French wine threatened by US tariffs | ||
| Jean Sulpice obtient deux étoiles d’un coup. | Jean Sulpice gets two stars at once. | |
| Video: 2018 Michelin stars celebrate France’s best restaurants | ||
Synonyms
- d’un coup
- d’un seul coup
- d’un trait (with a verb like boire or avaler)
- en une seule fois
- en une seule gorgée (boire, avaler)
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. |
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.
You must log in to post a comment.