tantôt

Tantôt is a French adverb with two main senses. In its most common contemporary use, it means soon or in a short time, as in Je reviendrai tantôt, “I’ll come back shortly.” It can also convey a vague future moment, roughly equivalent to “in a little while” or “in a moment.”

A second sense is concessive/relational: tantôt can introduce a contrast or alternation, especially in the phrase tantôt … tantôt …, which describes two states or actions that occur alternately. For example, Tantôt il riait, tantôt il se fâchait expresses a back-and-forth change in mood or behavior.

Etymology and history: Tantôt comes from Old French tantot, formed from tant meaning “so much, so many” with a suffix that reinforces temporality. It has long appeared in the French language and is now encountered mainly in writing or literary speech, with a milder sense of archaism in everyday usage.

Usage notes: In modern standard French, tantôt tends to be more literary or dated. In everyday speech, speakers often prefer synonyms such as bientôt, tout à l’heure, or dans peu de temps. The alternation sense (tantôt … tantôt) remains common in narrative or descriptive prose and poetry, where it contributes a rhythmic or stylistic nuance.

Examples:

- Je reviendrai tantôt.

- Tantôt il riait, tantôt il se fâchait.

- Dans le récit, le temps passe, tantôt doux, tantôt brutal.

See also: bientôt, tout à l’heure, tout de suite.