Log inSign up

J'ai répondu à tous et à toutes.

J'ai répondu à tous et à toutes.
I answered everyone (m) and everyone (f).
From Lesson 436:The pronouns all and everyone (tous, toutes)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai répondu à tous et à toutes.

Is the 's' pronounced in tous in this sentence?
Yes, you pronounce the 's' like a sharp /s/ sound here. When tous stands alone as a pronoun meaning everyone or all of them, the 's' is always pronounced. If it were an adjective describing a noun, the 's' would be silent.
Why is the preposition à repeated before toutes?
In French, the short prepositions à, de, and en must be repeated before every item they apply to in a list. Because the verb is répondre à (to answer someone), you must repeat the à for both pronouns.
If the masculine plural tous already covers a mixed group, why add et à toutes?
Grammatically, tous alone can mean everyone for a mixed crowd. However, saying tous et toutes (or toutes et tous) is a very common rhetorical choice to be explicitly inclusive of both men and women.
Could I just say J'ai répondu à tout le monde instead?
Yes, tout le monde is a perfect synonym for everyone here. Using à tous et à toutes just sounds a bit more formal and emphasizes the individuals rather than the crowd as a single unit.

Learn J'ai répondu à tous et à toutes 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
Start learning French →