I am wondering why it is not "toute" in the second sentence since it would seem to refer to "la rentrée" which is feminine.
Does the "tout" in the second sentence refer to "la rentrée" ?
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Does the "tout" in the second sentence refer to "la rentrée" ?
Richard, if I am listening to the sentence that you are questioning, I hear this as the adverb ‘tout’.
“C’est tout aussi stressant pour...” is a general statement, not a specific statement referring to 'cette semaine' or 'la Rentrée' - that would be ‘elle est…’
As usual, a ‘stand-alone’ adjective following c’est is masculine - hence ‘stressant’.
Normally adverbs are invariable, and in most circumstances ‘tout’ as an adverb is also invariable - for instance it is also invariable before ‘aussi’ as part of an adverbial expression.
However, there is a situation in which ‘toute’ (or toutes) would have been needed here. If the expression had been specific and in the feminine without ‘aussi’ eg ‘Elle est toute stressée ..’, or ‘Elles sont toutes stressées .. ’, ‘agreement’ of the adverb ‘tout’ occurs with the feminine adjective starting with a consonant (but not with a vowel or h muet). An unusual exception, even for French !
Standalone adjectives after c'est are always masculine
Tout/tous/toute/toutes = Everything/all (of them)/whole/completely in French
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Find your French level for FREE
Test your French to the CEFR standard
Find your French level