C'était la dernière fois que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais

Question

To me, according to the lesson, it seems like "It was the last time that you told me you loved me" and "It was last time that you told me you loved me" could both be acceptable answers for this phrase. The lesson says to use "la dernière fois" to mean "last time" when it's followed by a clause. Is it not followed by a clause in this case - "que tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais" - and therefore could mean "It was last time" as well as "It was the last time"?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Riley,
Here is the answer from a similar question from one of our team language experts : 
They are interchangeable when used on their own (meaning without a "que" clause) and only to mean "last time".
To express "the last time" (i.e. no more time after this), you can only use "la dernière fois".
 
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée!