• "At the time for me" is used to recognize a mistake.
  • According to the Académie française, this is the only accepted spelling.
  • Some, however, defend the spelling "as much for me".

You had admitted your mistake in a message and you were scolded more beautifully... What is this barbaric spelling? What idea to write "in time" rather than "as much"? Stung to the quick, you threw yourself on your dictionary and you found it, the expression "at the time for me". So why so much hatred?

What does that mean?

Already – and regardless of the spelling – what does it mean, "as much/time for me"? This adverbial phrase has a simple use: to recognize that we were wrong once we have been shown it. As an example, this somewhat meta dialogue:

"You didn't believe me, but I told you it was going to snow.

–It's true. At the time for me.

–And learn to write: it's "as much for me".

–No, look, the Académie française is without appeal: it is "at the time for me".

"Ah, you're right. At the time for me.

And indeed, if we refer to the Immortals, we write "at the time for me" and not otherwise.

But... What for?

No one is sure, but the most credible hypothesis is that of a military origin: soldiers having to march in rhythm, they would once have been admonished by shouting "to time" when they were wrong. They then had to recover at the first stage of the next measure. From criticism to self-criticism, this order would have engendered "time for me".

Are we sure?

This is where the issue gets tough. Several linguists have disputed this spelling and its military origin. Even the eminent grammarian Maurice Grevisse, who is to the French language what Philippe Manœuvre is to rock, doubted it. Rather, it would be a matter of admitting that one has made "as many" mistakes as others. Some also suspect a kinship with the English expression "so much for (X)", which translates as "as much for (X)" and expresses the failure of (X).

What do the numbers say?

According to the Google analysis tool Ngram (which scans all the books scanned by the web giant), "as much for me" is more common in literature than "at the time for me". These numbers are misleading, however, since Ngram also lists phrases like "you would do the same for me" or "stop worrying so much for me", which have nothing to do with our phrase. Moreover, if we rely on online occurrences, "time for me" dominates slightly.

So, what to do?

When in doubt, be a good little soldier and write "in time for me." If you are reproached for this, you can always invoke the clear opinion of the Académie française.

  • French language
  • Expression
  • Etymology
  • Vocabulary