Tout ça pour dire que ...
- Thread starter Sibylle64
- Start date
easy: All that to say...
When I've used the phrase "tout ça pour dire que" (at the close of a discussion) I mean, in English, "which basically means" or "in conclusion my basic point is..." or even "summing up".
"In conclusion my basic point is: as soon as your potential is acknowledged you will be in a position to (be able to) fulfill your career expectations".
Note: you can't say in English "you will have the possibilitiy to fulfil...". You have to say "it will be possible for you to" or a different construction like "you will be in a position to fulfil..." or even "able to" or "capable of".
Cordialement
Albert
"In conclusion my basic point is: as soon as your potential is acknowledged you will be in a position to (be able to) fulfill your career expectations".
Note: you can't say in English "you will have the possibilitiy to fulfil...". You have to say "it will be possible for you to" or a different construction like "you will be in a position to fulfil..." or even "able to" or "capable of".
Cordialement
Albert
This would be my choice, too. Please bear in mind that one cannot start a sentence with this phrase.
Agreed with you concerning formal written English, david. But let's not be too doctrinaire! In conversational, spoken (or even written--like an email) English, all the possibilities suggested are as common as sentence-starters in English as is the original French phrase.Please bear in mind that one cannot start a sentence with this phrase.
I do agree with you.Please bear in mind that one cannot start a sentence with this phrase.
I also want to say that "tout ça pour dire que" is absolutely no formal language. It's rather clumsy...
Just to be sure. Can we add "that" as in "All that to say that blabla"?
Thanks!!
It's a bit wordy to my ears and I would omit one "that", for sure. Would you care to provide a full sentence?
which basically means is clearer than all that to say (which sounds like a Gallicism to me!)
I think you need a sprinkling of 'the' as well ...
"The reception, the service ... the food ... the tables ..."
Also, "the reception" sounds a little French, I think. Do you not mean, "the welcome"?
"The reception, the service ... the food ... the tables ..."
Also, "the reception" sounds a little French, I think. Do you not mean, "the welcome"?
Response to your question,
"Considering all that/All things considered, I'm never going back there!"
[...]
"Considering all that/All things considered, I'm never going back there!"
[...]
Last edited by a moderator:
Coming back to the OP, in some instances you could use the expression "it all boils down to..."
"Long story short" ?
Good suggestion but it needs to be "To cut a long story short ... "
No, I don't agree, broglet. When you are in the middle of an explanation that is getting complicated and overlong, it's not unusual (in AE) to stop the details and summarize the outcome with "Long story short, (we didn't go, we bought it, she said no, etc.)"
Last edited:
the bottom line?
In other words, ... might be similar to the other expressions above, or may simply be a paraphrased explanation without necessarily being briefer.
(Shorter words doesn't sound right--that would describe words of one-two syllables rather than longer words.)
(Shorter words doesn't sound right--that would describe words of one-two syllables rather than longer words.)
Ca allait être ma suggestion aussi ou "to make a long story short"...
Sinon, tout simplement "anyway/anyhow/anyhoo" depending how informal.
Depending on your audience, you might use the Shakespearean "In few, ...".
But "In summary" (broglet's #14) or "To sum up" sounds like simply a condensation of the underlying argument, whereas (just my opinion) "All that to say" sounds like you're apologizing to your audience for having entered into so much detail.
But "In summary" (broglet's #14) or "To sum up" sounds like simply a condensation of the underlying argument, whereas (just my opinion) "All that to say" sounds like you're apologizing to your audience for having entered into so much detail.
There is of course the hyper slangy version of listing all the disasters and then adding, "nuff sed" ( = That's enough said about that ...) at the end.
I don't know if I should be encouraging foreign students to use this expression, though
I don't know if I should be encouraging foreign students to use this expression, though