toujours

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See also: toûjours

French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle French tousjours, from Old French toz jorz, tuzjurz (“without ceasing”, literally “all days”). By surface analysis, tous +‎ jours (compare Dutch altijd (“always”), Danish altid (“always”)). Replaced Old French sempres (“always”), from Latin semper.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /tu.ʒuʁ/
  • As with most words in -rs, there is no liaison with that which follows, e.g. toujours ici will be pronounced as [tu.ʒu.ʁ‿i.si].
  • audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -uʁ

Adverb[edit]

toujours

  1. always
    Antonym: jamais
    Il est toujours en retard. ― He is always late.
    Parfois, peut-être même souvent, mais certainement pas toujours
    Sometimes, maybe even often, but certainly not always
  2. still
    Synonym: encore
    • 2010, Björn Larsson, translated from Swedish by Philippe Bouquet, Les poètes morts n'écrivent pas de romans policiers
      Un homme que l’on pourrait croire sorti tout droit de la Renaissance, et qui a été assassiné en 1975, pour des raisons qui n’ont toujours pas été élucidées.
      A man who you might think came straight out of the Renaissance, and who was assassinated in 1975, for reasons which still haven't been elucidated.
    Je suis toujours là. ― I'm still here.
    Elle n’est toujours pas revenue. ― She still hasn't come back.

Usage notes[edit]

  • In negative constructions, the position of the negating element pas is different in each sense:
    • pas toujours ― not always
    • toujours pas ― still not

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French "toujours (aimable)". Attested since 1840.

Adjective[edit]

toujours

  1. (rare, only used predicatively) sociable and nice

References[edit]

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