Breakdown of Bonjour à tous, nos collègues sont tous ici aujourd'hui.
être
to be
ici
here
bonjour
hello
à
at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)
le collègue
the colleague
notre
our (singular and plural forms: notre, nos)
aujourd'hui
today
tous
everyone / all of them (m)
Questions & Answers about Bonjour à tous, nos collègues sont tous ici aujourd'hui.
Are both instances of tous pronounced the same way in this sentence?
Yes, you pronounce the final 's' as a sharp /s/ sound for both! In this sentence, both are acting as indefinite pronouns. The first tous means "everyone," and the second means "all of them." Whenever tous stands on its own as a pronoun rather than sitting next to a noun, the 's' is pronounced.
Why is the second tous placed after the verb sont?
When tous is used as a pronoun to emphasize the subject (here, meaning "all of them"), it is placed immediately after the conjugated verb. It floats away from the subject (nos collègues) to sit right after sont.
Could I just say tous nos collègues sont ici instead?
Absolutely, but the grammar and pronunciation change. In tous nos collègues, the word tous is an adjective describing the colleagues. Because it is acting as an adjective here, the final 's' is completely silent. In our original sentence, because it is separated as a pronoun, that 's' is heavily pronounced.
Is bonjour à tous the best way to say "hello everyone"?
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