toutefois (or is it toute fois ) what does it mean?

[yong leong]

I heard this word over the radio once again no written words for me to refer to so i am sorry I have to check it here on this forum.

     Is it one word or two words, and does it means all the time ? Please help

[Erwan]

It's one word and means "however", "nethertheless".

Here are some synonyms : cependant, néanmoins, pourtant.

[yong leong]

Hello Erwan, I am surprised it means , cependant, néanmoins, pourtant:  I thought it meant ' all the time'

thanks Erwan.

[Neil Coffey]

No, "all the time" would be "tout le temps".

[yong leong]

 Neil, this word is not often use is it?  I seldom heard it used. How often does it appear in conversation? Rarely, sometimes?

[Erwan]

It's used quite often.

e.g. : Elle agit ainsi tout le temps. She acted like that all the time.

Elle dit ça tout le temps. She says that all the time.

On l'emploie tout le temps. We use it all the time.

 

I think we hear it more than we read it, but it's perhaps just a feeling.

 

[Neil Coffey]

In everyday conversation, probably "quand même" is the most common way of saying the equivalent of "toutefois" etc. But in more formal writing it is used. It's also often the favourite choice in contracts (whereas in other types of writing, the synonyms that Erwan mentioned are probably more or less equally common).

[Erwan]

I've just noticed when I read the Neil's reply that I have not understand your question...oups (in everyday French, j'étais à côté de la plaque). Fortunately Neil gave you an answer.

[yong leong]

' j'étais à côte de la plaque' means I have not understood your question?  I thought it means ' I was beside the plague' or something like that?

    Really, I am not sure what 'toutefois' means now,  I was asking one question apparently this is not an easy question to answer; now I got more questions.

       So 'toutefois' can mean something like 'quand même and quand même can means ' although or 'though''  just hope I got it right for once, LOL

       Never mind Neil, there are times some words became clear after they have been cooked in the brain for a while, now it is simmering in my brain under very low temperature, when is it ready for use?  Oh, I don't know, then suddenly I understood its meaning  when I am not trying:  it's a case of 'sitting down quietly doing nothing I achieve everything.

     

[Erwan]

J'étais à côté de la plaque means I missed the point.

Here are some examples (from wikipedia)with toutefois

- Tous les hommes recherchent les richesses, et toutefois on voit peu d’hommes riches qui soient heureux  : All  people seek wealth but yet we see few rich men who are happy

-Toutefois on peut objecter que… : However we can object that...

 

Good luck with your cooking  ;)

[Neil Coffey]

The meaning is really very similar to "however", "nontheless" in English: it introduces a contrast, or emphasises a fact/condition that maybe wasn't expected.

 

Or another way to see it, it means something like "the thing I've just said doesn't change the fact that...".

 

See Erwan's answer for some examples.

[yong leong]

Ok  Neil, I got it, I just checked the dictionary. I will keep it simple , in other words just remember one example, the common one that is and leave it at that. well, in future I will come across this word again and see what happen.

   Very much obliged everyone for helping me out, Erwan and others thanks.