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How to Say ‘Were you on your own?’ in French

Tu étais tout seul ?

tyoo eh-teh too surl

[tyoo eh-teh too surl]

💬 Usage Tip: Tout seul changes for a woman: ask her Tu étais toute seule ? — same sound except the t is now pronounced (toot sull).

Phrase Breakdown

Tu étais

tyoo eh-teh

Were you

Imperfect tense of 'être'. 'Étais' sounds like 'é-tè'.

Example

Tu étais où ?

Where were you?

Words in this phrase

[tyoo]

you

An informal singular pronoun used to address one person.

Example

Tu travailles dans une start-up ou une grande entreprise ?

Do you work in a start-up or a large company?

étais

[eh-teh]

was

Past tense of 'to be'.

Example

Il était une fois...

Once upon a time...

tout seul ?

too surl

all alone?

'Tout' adds emphasis: 'too suhl'.

Example

Il mange tout seul.

He eats all alone.

Words in this phrase

tout

[too]

completely; all the way

Adverb intensifying the next word: 'right', 'completely'.

Example

C'est tout près d'ici.

It's very close to here.

seul

[surl]

alone

Adjective meaning by oneself; 'tout seul' = all alone.

Example

Il habite seul.

He lives alone.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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