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How to Say ‘I am early.’ in French

Je suis en avance.

zhuh swee ahn ah-VAHNSS

[zhuh swee ahn ah-VAHNSS]

💬 Usage Tip: En links to avance, sounding like (ahn-na-vahns).

Phrase Breakdown

Je suis

zhuh swee

I am

Subject 'je' (I) + 'suis', the present tense of 'être' (to be). Say it as 'zhuh swee'. In casual speech it often sounds like 'chui'. In the full phrase, you can link 'suis' to 'en' with a Z sound: 'swee-zan'.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

suis

[swee]

First person singular present of 'to be'.

Example

Je suis fatigué.

I am tired.

en avance.

ahn ah-VAHNSS

early / ahead of time

Fixed expression meaning 'early'. 'En' is a nasal vowel, and its N links to 'avance': 'ah-na-vahns'. The final 'ce' sounds like an S.

Example

Le train est en avance.

The train is early.

Words in this phrase

[ahn]

(part of 'en avance')

Preposition used in fixed expressions describing a state, like being early.

Example

Nous sommes en avance ce matin.

We are early this morning.

avance

[ah-VAHNSS]

advance / earliness

Feminine noun meaning advance; 'en avance' means early.

Example

Elle arrive toujours en avance.

She always arrives early.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.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.

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