What do TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, and TOUTES mean?

They ALL mean the same thing.
 

TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, and TOUTES can mean either "every single thing" or "the entirety of something".
 

For example, if I want to say that I ate all my meal, I would say: "J'ai tout mangé" = J'ai mangé l'intégralité de mon repas."
 

 

 

What is the difference between TOUS, TOUTE, and TOUTES?

But then, what is the difference between TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, and TOUTES?
 

The difference between the four is gender (feminine / masculine) and number (singular / plural).
 

TOUT is used with singular masculine nouns. For example " J'ai mangé tout le fromage". 🧀
 

TOUS is used with plural masculine nouns. For example: "J'ai mangé tous les fromages". 🧀🧀🧀
 

TOUTE is used with singular feminine nouns. For example: "J'ai mangé toute la tarte". 🥧
 

TOUTES is used with plural feminine nouns. For example: "J'ai mangé toutes les tartes". 🥧🥧🥧🥧
 

 

 

How to differentiate between TOUT, TOUS, TOUTE, and TOUTES?

To differentiate between TOUT, TOUS, TOUTE, and TOUTES, you need to know if the word that follows or what you are talking about is feminine or masculine and whether it is singular or plural.
 

Let's observe: If I want to say "J'ai fini ____ mes tâches", I can say: Should I put TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, or TOUTES?
 

"tâches" is a feminine plural word, so I should put ... TOUTES: I finished all my tasks
 

 

If I'm talking about a book I read entirely: "J'ai lu ____ ce livre" : Should I put TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, or TOUTES?
 

"livre" is a masculine singular word, so I should put ... TOUT.
 

 

If I want to say that all my friends came to the party, I can say: "___ mes amis sont venus." : Should I put TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, or TOUTES?
 

"amis" is here masculine and plural, so I should put ... TOUS.
 

 

If I want to say that the pizza was entirely eaten, I can say: "____ la pizza a été mangée." Should I put TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, or TOUTES?
 

"pizza" is a singular feminine word, so I should put ... TOUTE.
 

 

To conclude, TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, and TOUTES are adjectives or pronouns that vary according to the gender and number of the noun they accompany. They indicate the entirety or each element of a group.
 

 

French exercises on TOUS, TOUT, TOUTE, and TOUTES: