French Phrase
Ne garde pas tout le matos pour toi.
Meaning
Literally, 'Don’t keep all the gear for yourself.' It’s a friendly warning not to monopolize equipment that others might need.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal settings—among friends, teammates, or coworkers—when someone is hogging shared equipment like sports gear, musical instruments, or tech tools.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Negardepastoutlematospourtoi
Negative Imperative (Ne…pas)
In the imperative mood, the negative form uses 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after it, e.g., 'Ne garde pas…'.
Tout le + singular noun
When 'tout' modifies a singular, countable noun, it stays singular and agrees with the noun: 'tout le matos'.
Matos (slang)
'Matos' is a colloquial abbreviation of 'matériel' meaning equipment or gear; it’s common in informal speech.
Placement of 'pour toi'
The prepositional phrase 'pour toi' follows the direct object to indicate who benefits from the action.
🗨In Conversation
Ne garde pas tout le matos pour toi.
Don’t keep all the gear for yourself.
D’accord, je le partage avec tout le monde.
Okay, I’ll share it with everyone.
✕Common Mistakes
Garde pas tout le matos pour toi.
The negative imperative requires both 'ne' and 'pas'.
Ne garde pas tout le matos à toi.
Use 'pour toi' (for you) rather than 'à toi' which sounds unnatural here.
Ne garde pas tout les matos pour toi.
'Tout' stays singular before a singular noun; the correct form is 'tout le matos'.
↔Alternatives
Ne garde pas tout le matériel pour toi.
Don’t keep all the equipment for yourself.
Ne garde pas tout le matos à toi.
Don’t keep all the gear for yourself.
Ne garde pas tout le matos pour toi-même.
Don’t keep all the gear for yourself.
Cultural Tip
‘Matos’ is slang popular with younger speakers and in creative or sports circles. It’s perfectly fine in casual conversation, but avoid it in formal writing or when speaking to someone you don’t know well.