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Breakdown of Tout est ouvert sauf la pharmacie.
être
to be
tout
everything
la pharmacie
the pharmacy
ouvert
open
sauf
except
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).
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Questions & Answers about Tout est ouvert sauf la pharmacie.
Why is it tout and not tous/toute/toutes?
- tout (masc. sg.) as a pronoun means everything. That’s what you want here.
- tous (masc. pl.) as a pronoun means all (of them) when the things/people are masculine or mixed and already known.
- toutes (fem. pl.) as a pronoun means all (of them) when the things/people are feminine and already known.
- toute (fem. sg.) is usually a determiner meaning the whole/entire before a feminine noun (e.g., toute la ville). Examples:
- Tout est ouvert. = Everything is open.
- Tous sont ouverts. = All (of them) are open. (Only if the group is known.)
- Tous les magasins sont ouverts. = All the shops are open.
- Toutes les boutiques sont ouvertes. = All the (feminine) shops are open.
Why is it est ouvert and not sont ouverts?
Because the subject tout is singular, so the verb and adjective are singular: est ouvert. If you made the subject plural (e.g., Les magasins), you’d say sont ouverts.
Does ouvert agree, and with what?
Yes—ouvert agrees with the subject of être:
- Tout est ouvert. (masc. sg.)
- Tous sont ouverts. (masc. pl.)
- Toutes sont ouvertes. (fem. pl.)
- La pharmacie est ouverte. (fem. sg.)
Is est ouvert a passive form?
No. Here ouvert is an adjective after être, describing a state: “is open.” A true passive action would be something like La porte a été ouverte (the door was opened). After the action, you can describe the state with La porte est ouverte (the door is open).
What does sauf do here, and how do I use it?
sauf is a preposition meaning except (for). Use it directly before a noun or pronoun:
- Tout est ouvert sauf la pharmacie.
- Tout est ouvert sauf moi. If you need to exclude a whole clause, use sauf que (“except that”):
- Tout est ouvert, sauf que la pharmacie est fermée.
Why do we say la pharmacie (with the article)?
French normally uses articles with countable nouns. sauf la pharmacie implies a specific pharmacy understood from context (e.g., “the one in this area”). Other options:
- sauf une pharmacie = except one pharmacy.
- sauf les pharmacies = except pharmacies (in general).
What if I mean “except pharmacies in general”?
Use the plural: Tout est ouvert sauf les pharmacies. You could also say À l’exception des pharmacies (more formal).
Should I ever say sauf à la pharmacie?
Use sauf à la pharmacie to exclude a location from where something applies (“except at the pharmacy”), not to exclude the pharmacy as an item in a list.
- Policy/location: On peut payer en liquide partout, sauf à la pharmacie.
- Item exception: Tout est ouvert sauf la pharmacie. (no preposition)
Can I put the exception first?
Yes: Sauf la pharmacie, tout est ouvert. A comma is natural when the exception comes first.
Are there synonyms for sauf?
- Neutral/formal: excepté, hormis, à l’exception de
- More casual: à part Example: Tout est ouvert, à part la pharmacie.
How would I say it if I explicitly mention shops?
- Tous les magasins sont ouverts, sauf la pharmacie.
- Toutes les boutiques sont ouvertes, sauf la pharmacie. Agreement follows the noun: magasins (masc. pl.) → ouverts; boutiques (fem. pl.) → ouvertes.
Can I use C’est ouvert instead of Tout est ouvert?
C’est ouvert means “It’s open” (one place). Tout est ouvert means “Everything is open.” Use C’est ouvert when you’re talking about a specific venue (e.g., pointing at a shop’s door).
Can I say Tous sont ouverts?
Only if the set has already been mentioned, so tous has a clear antecedent:
- Les musées ? Tous sont ouverts. Without a prior reference, Tous sont ouverts is vague; use Tout est ouvert or name the group.
Is sauf pour OK?
Generally, prefer plain sauf before nouns and pronouns: sauf moi, sauf la pharmacie. sauf pour is acceptable when you’re excluding applicability to a context (often with an -ing idea in English):
- Valable partout, sauf pour les livraisons internationales. But don’t say sauf pour la pharmacie when you simply mean “except the pharmacy” as an item.
Any pronunciation tips?
- Make the liaison “t” sounds:
- tout est → the final t of tout is pronounced: roughly “too-tay”
- est ouvert → the t of est is pronounced: “eh-t ou-VEHR”
- Approximate: “too-tay eh-too-VEHR soff la far-mah-SEE”
- IPA (with liaisons): [tut‿ɛt‿uvɛʁ sof la faʁmaˈsi] Note: the final t of ouvert is silent.
Could I rephrase it another way?
Yes. For example:
- Il n’y a que la pharmacie qui est fermée. (Only the pharmacy is closed.)
- Tout est ouvert, à l’exception de la pharmacie. (More formal.)