Tout est bien qui finit bien

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French Proverb

Meaning	All’s well that ends well
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[too tay bye(n) ki fi ni bye(n)]
IPA		[tu te bʝɛ̃ ki fi ni bʝɛ̃]

Usage notes: Tout est bien qui finit bien is one of the rare French proverbs that have a near-exact equivalent in English (and other languages).* In addition, the meaning is pretty straightforward: despite some difficulties faced along the way, a good result at the end makes it all worthwhile.

Par exemple…

J’ai perdu mon emploi dans l’usine un jour avant de trouver le boulot de mes rêves. Tout est bien qui finit bien !
I lost my job at the factory one day before finding the job of my dreams. All’s well that ends well!

Somewhat synonymous

• La fin justifie les moyens. – The ends justify the means.
• À force de taper sur le clou, on finit par l’enfoncer. (Québec) – Persistence pays off.

 * In other languages

• Spanish: Bien está lo que bien acaba.
• Italian: Tutto è bene quel che finisce bene.
• Greek: Τέλος καλό, όλα καλά.
• Know this expresssion in other languages? Post a comment below.

 Related lessons

• Être conjugations
• Finir conjugations
• Qui – relative pronoun
• Tout – indefinite pronoun

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