French Phrase
Tu devrais jeter un coup d'œil.
Meaning
Literally, ‘You should throw a glance’, this idiomatic French sentence means ‘You should take a look (at something)’. It conveys a friendly, slightly informal suggestion, often used when pointing someone toward information, a document, or a place.
When to use
Use it when you want to recommend that someone glance at something without sounding too forceful—e.g., a colleague’s report, a menu, a website, or a scenic view. It works best in casual or semi‑formal contexts; in very formal writing you might choose a more neutral construction.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tudevraisjeteruncoupd'œil
Conditional of devoir
‘devrais’ is the present conditional of ‘devoir’, used to give polite advice or suggestion.
Infinitive after conditional
After ‘devrais’, the verb stays in its infinitive form (jeter).
Idiom: jeter un coup d'œil
Literally ‘to throw a glance’, it means ‘to take a look’. The whole expression functions as a single verb phrase.
Elision d' + œil
The preposition ‘de’ contracts with the vowel‑starting word ‘œil’, forming ‘d’œil’.
🗨In Conversation
J’ai reçu le nouveau planning, mais je ne sais pas où il se trouve.
I got the new schedule, but I don’t know where it is.
Tu devrais jeter un coup d'œil dans le dossier partagé.
You should take a look in the shared folder.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu devrais jettes un coup d'œil.
The conditional ‘devrais’ must be followed by the infinitive ‘jeter’, not a conjugated form.
Tu devrais jeter un coup d'oeil.
The correct spelling uses the ligature ‘œ’ and an apostrophe after ‘d’ – ‘coup d'œil’. Writing ‘coup d'oeil’ is a common typo.
Tu devrais jeter un coup d’œil.
In spoken French the ‘œ’ is pronounced /œ/, but the spelling must keep the ligature; avoid ‘œil’ without the apostrophe.
↔Alternatives
Tu devrais regarder.
You should look.
Il faut que tu jettes un œil.
You need to have a look.
Jette un œil à ça.
Take a look at that.
Cultural Tip
‘Jeter un coup d'œil’ is a very common everyday idiom in France and Québec. It’s informal but perfectly acceptable in most spoken contexts, even in the workplace. Avoid using it in highly formal documents; instead opt for ‘examiner’ or ‘consulter’. Also note that the accent on the ‘œ’ is essential – writing ‘oeil’ without the ligature is considered a spelling mistake in French.