Tout le monde aime le fromage.

to like

Breakdown of Tout le monde aime le fromage.

• le fromage: the cheese
• tout le monde: everyone

Questions & Answers about Tout le monde aime le fromage.

What does Tout le monde mean, and why is it treated as singular even though it refers to a group of people?

Tout le monde translates to “everyone” or “everybody” in English. Even though it signifies all people, it is grammatically singular in French. This is why the verb that follows is conjugated in the singular form.

Why is the verb aime used instead of aiment in this sentence?

Since tout le monde is considered a singular subject in French, the verb must agree with a singular subject. Therefore, aime (the singular form) is correctly used, even though the meaning implies multiple people.

What does le fromage mean, and why is the definite article le used here?

Le fromage means “the cheese”. In French, when referring to a general concept or category (in this case, cheese in general), the definite article is used. This indicates that the statement is talking about cheese as a whole rather than a specific piece or amount.

Could a partitive article like du be used instead of le in this sentence?

No, using du fromage would change the meaning. Du fromage is a partitive construction used to talk about an unspecified quantity of cheese (for example, when referring to some cheese). Here, because the sentence expresses a general truth about cheese, the definite article le is the appropriate choice.