Dans la rue, tout le monde est content.

Breakdown of Dans la rue, tout le monde est content.

être
to be
content
happy
dans
in, inside
la rue
the street
tout le monde
everybody

Questions & Answers about Dans la rue, tout le monde est content.

Why does tout le monde mean 'everybody' when it looks like 'all the world'?
You are right! Word-for-word, tout le monde translates to 'all the world.' But in French, it is the standard, everyday expression used to mean 'everyone' or 'everybody.'
Since tout le monde means 'everybody', why do we use the singular verb est instead of sont?
Even though tout le monde refers to a group of people, the phrase itself is grammatically singular (just like 'everybody' is in English). Therefore, you must use the same verb form as you would for il (he) or elle (she). You will always use est (is), never sont (are).
Does the adjective content need an 's' at the end because we are talking about a lot of people?
No, it does not! Because the subject tout le monde is grammatically singular and masculine, any adjectives describing it must also be singular and masculine. That is why we use content instead of the plural contents.
Why do we say dans la rue instead of sur la rue for 'in the street'?
In French, when you are physically walking or standing in a street, you are considered to be 'inside' it, so we use dans (in). You will occasionally see sur (on) when referring to a street as a geographic location or address, but for people being physically present, dans la rue is the natural choice.
Since we are learning il y a (there is/there are), could we say 'Il y a tout le monde content dans la rue'?
Not quite! Il y a is used to point out that something exists somewhere (like Il y a un chien dans la rue - There is a dog in the street). When you want to state how a specific group feels, you do not use il y a. You just make them the standard subject, exactly like this sentence does.

Learn Dans la rue, tout le monde est content and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free