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How to Say ‘I have a small family.’ in French

J'ai une petite famille.

zhem ay ewn puh-teet fah-MEEY

[zhem ay ewn puh-teet fah-MEEY]

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai une

zhem ay ewn

I have a

Glide the words together: 'zhay-ün'.

Example

J'ai une idée.

I have an idea.

Words in this phrase

[zhem]

I (contracted form of « je »)

« Je » becomes « J’ » before a vowel: « J’aime » = “I like/I love”. Very frequent for opinions about anime.

Example

J' aime ce studio d’animation.

I like this animation studio.

[ay]

have (1st person singular)

« ai » is « avoir » conjugated for « je ». It’s the auxiliary used in the passé composé: « j’ai commencé » = “I started / I have started”.

Example

J’ ai regardé la bande-annonce.

I watched the trailer.

une

[ewn]

a / an

A feminine singular indefinite article, used before feminine nouns like "matinée."

Example

Une belle matinée commence bien.

A beautiful morning starts well.

petite famille.

puh-teet fah-MEEY

small family.

The double 'l' in 'famille' sounds like y: 'fa-mee-y'.

Example

Il vient d'une petite famille.

He comes from a small family.

Words in this phrase

petite

[puh-teet]

small / little

Adjective describing something as small, short, or modest.

Example

Une petite visite samedi peut convenir.

A short visit on Saturday could work.

famille

[fah-MEEY]

family

Refers to your relatives traveling with you.

Example

Ma famille attend près de la porte.

My family is waiting near the gate.

Guides for French learners

Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.Babbel vs Pimsleur: Reading Your Way In or Listening Your Way In?Babbel vs Pimsleur: short structured lessons on screen versus 30-minute audio lessons you answer out loud. Which gets you speaking, and which fits your day.

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