Pronunciation: [too d(eu) sweet]
Meaning: right away, at once, immediately
Literal translation: all in a row
Register: normal
Notes: Tout de suite is one of the most common expressions in the French language, and is just one of several ways to say "right away, immediately."*
Because of its pronunciation, tout de suite is sometimes misspelled "toute suite" or even, in English, "toot sweet."
Examples
Tu dois l'appeler tout de suite.
You need to call him right away.
Il a tout de suite compris.
He understood immediately.
J'arrive tout de suite.
I'll be there in a moment.
Expressions with tout de suite
bientôt mais pas tout de suite
soon but not too soon, "soonish"
ce n'est pas pour tout de suite
it won't happen overnight / right away
je m'occupe de vous tout de suite
I'll be right with you, I'll be with you in a moment
mettons cela au clair tout de suite
let's get that straight right now
mettre tout de suite (qqun) dans le bain
to throw (someone) in the deep end
pas tout de suite
there's no rush, not just yet
prendre tout de suite (qqun/qqchose) en grippe
to take an instant dislike to (someone/something)
*Synonyms for tout de suite
- aussitôt - right away, immediately
- bientôt - soon
- immédiatement - immediately
- prochainement - soon, shortly
- sans délai - right away, in short order
- sur-le-champ - on the spot, immediately
- tout à l'heure - in a little while (but note that it can also be used for the very recent past)
Post your comments about the French expression tout de suite on my French blog - just hit "comments" at the bottom of the post.
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