surtout

Surtout is a French adverb meaning "above all" or "especially." It is used to emphasize a point, to mark the most important aspect of what is being discussed, or to narrow the scope of a statement. For example, in French you might say, il faut surtout penser à la sécurité, meaning “we must especially think about safety” or “above all, think about safety.”

Etymology and form: Surtout comes from the combination of sur ("over" or "above") and tout ("all"). The spelling is fixed in modern French as surtout, and it is pronounced roughly as [syʁ.tu] in standard French. The word is versatile and can introduce phrases or clauses, akin to "especially" or "above all" in English.

Usage notes: In everyday French, surtout can modify verbs, adjectives, or nouns, and is common in both spoken and written language. It can also introduce a subordinate clause, as in surtout que, which conveys a sense of emphasis on a subsequent idea or condition. Surtout is often interchangeable with synonyms like principalement or particulièrement, though it carries a stronger sense of priority or emphasis. In English-language texts, surtout appears mainly in translations or discussions of French usage, and is not a frequent loanword in casual English prose.

See also: In translation, surtout is used to capture nuance that English would render with especially or above all. It differs from simplement or surtout bien by its stronger focal emphasis on the stated element.