autant pour moi

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Whether the true orthography is autant pour moi or au temps pour moi is unknown. The two co-exist and have their proponents:

1) autant pour moi: an elliptic form of the expression « C'est autant pour moi », or « C'est autant d'erreur que l'on peut mettre à mon actif » (~ those are mistakes one can attribute to me). This version is defended by French writer and translator Claude Duneton.

2) au temps pour moi: according to the Académie Française, au temps ! originally meant to start all over again in the military (reprendre, recommencer). Then more extensively, it began to be used to agree to a mistake, and to agree to "start all over again" so as not to do it again. But this explanation is criticised by some people considering that this form a pedantic respelling of autant pour moi.[1][2]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /o.tɑ̃ puʁ mwa/
  • Audio(file)

Interjection

autant pour moi

  1. my bad, my mistake, silly me, I stand corrected

References
  1. https://www.rtl.fr/culture/culture-generale/faut-il-ecrire-autant-pour-moi-ou-au-temps-pour-moi-7900219239
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxc7GQ4HGMY

Further reading
  • "autant pour moi", Dictionnaire des francophones
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