Surtout, Above All

Von Daniel Lupo

The adverb surtout is actually two words combined: sur (over, above) and tout (all). Once you know that, its meaning is self-explanatory:

Et surtout n'oubliez rien.

And above all, don't forget anything.

Caption 9, Bande-annonce - La Belle et la Bête
Play Caption

There are a couple different ways of saying "above all" in English, all of which are encompassed by surtout. There's "most of all":

Mais surtout c'est toi

But most of all, it's you

Caption 30, Aldebert - La vie c'est quoi ?
Play Caption

"Especially":

J'ai du mal à mentir, surtout quand c'est pas vrai

I find it hard to lie, especially when it's not true

Caption 29, Babylon Circus - J'aurais bien voulu
Play Caption

And "particularly" or "in particular":

J'aime surtout la cuisine japonais.

I particularly like Japanese cuisine. / I like Japanese cuisine in particular.

Note, though, that "especially," "particularly," and "in particular" have more direct equivalents in French as well:

C'est le sujet qui nous intéresse tous spécialement aujourd'hui.

It's the subject that's especially of interest to all of us today.

Caption 62, Uderzo et Goscinny - 1968
Play Caption

Mais quand on est sensible à la peinture,

But for one who appreciates painting,

ici, la lumière est particulièrement belle.

the light here is particularly beautiful.

Caption 8, Arles - Un Petit Tour d'Arles
Play Caption

Les plages de la côte atlantique et en particulier

The beaches on the Atlantic coast and in particular

de la côte basque sont des plages très étendues.

on the Basque coast are very vast beaches.

Caption 31, Voyage en France - Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Play Caption

Surtout can also mean "mainly" or "mostly," which isn't quite the same as "above all":

En fait c'est ça surtout.

In fact that's it, mostly.

Caption 37, Alsace 20 - La chronique Mode de Caroline: mode éthique
Play Caption

Aujourd'hui j'ai surtout travaillé au bureau.

Today I mainly worked in the office.

In informal speech, surtout is also the equivalent of "whatever you do" or "be sure to":

Surtout, ne rate pas le prochain épisode de "Extra"!

Whatever you do, don't miss the next episode of "Extra"!

Caption 10, Extr@ - Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née
Play Caption