# What is the singular version of À vos marques, prêts, partez!?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 7, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078 "2020-01-07T17:34:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078/1 "2020-01-07T17:34:49Z")

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Hi

What is the singular version of À vos marques, prêts, partez!? Do the French ever use it in the singular. What would it be if you just said it to one person? "On your mark, get set go!. I haven’t come across it.  
I look forward to your feedback.

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**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078/2 "2020-01-07T17:46:40Z")

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Would need a native French speaker to confirm … but “_À ta marque, prête, pars!_” takes all the plural forms and converts them back to singular.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078/3 "2020-01-07T17:49:40Z")

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« À votre marque, prêt, partez!» is the translation if you vousvoie an adult male person.

Tutoie version (for a boy) would be:

«À ta marque, prêt, pars!»

For a woman / girl, would substitute «prête».

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078/4 "2020-01-07T17:52:52Z")

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Whether the phrase is ever used in the singular, I don’t know.

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**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-singular-version-of-a-vos-marques-prets-partez/846078/5 "2020-01-07T19:19:23Z")

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> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Whether the phrase is ever used in the singular, I don’t know.

Thanks Northern Piper and bordelond.I’ve never heard it used in the singular. it does sound a little strange in French in the singular, even though it’s grammatically correct.