French Phrase
Prépare tous les documents.
Meaning
A direct command telling someone to get every required document ready. It’s often used in work, school, or administrative contexts where a complete set of paperwork is needed.
When to use
Use this phrase when assigning a task to a single colleague, classmate, or friend. In a formal or plural setting you would switch to the polite form ‘Préparez tous les documents.’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Préparetouslesdocuments.
Imperative (2nd person singular)
‘Prépare’ is the informal command form of the verb ‘préparer’, used when speaking to one person you know well.
Adjective ‘tous’
‘tous’ means ‘all’ and must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies; here it is masculine plural to match ‘documents’.
Definite article ‘les’
‘les’ is the plural definite article, used before a specific set of items.
Noun ‘documents’
‘documents’ is a masculine plural noun meaning ‘documents, papers, files’.
🗨In Conversation
On doit remettre le dossier demain.
We have to hand in the file tomorrow.
Prépare tous les documents.
Prepare all the documents.
✕Common Mistakes
Préparer tous les documents.
The infinitive ‘préparer’ cannot be used as a command; you need the imperative form ‘Prépare’ or ‘Préparez’.
Prépare tout les documents.
‘Tout’ must agree with the plural noun; the correct form is ‘tous les documents’. ‘Tout’ is singular.
Préparez tous les documents.
‘Préparez’ is the polite/plural form; using it with a close friend can sound overly formal.
↔Alternatives
Prépare tous les papiers.
Prepare all the papers.
Prépare l'ensemble des documents.
Prepare the whole set of documents.
Mets tous les documents en ordre.
Put all the documents in order.
Cultural Tip
In French business culture, the informal imperative is reserved for familiar colleagues or teammates. In a meeting with a manager or a client, switch to the polite ‘Préparez’ or use a softer request like ‘Pourriez‑vous préparer…’. Also, French speakers often prefer ‘documents’ over ‘papiers’ when referring to official paperwork.