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How to Say ‘Just a little bit’ in French

Juste un petit peu

ZHoost uhn puh-tee puh

[ZHoost uhn puh-tee puh]

💬 Usage Tip: Adding petit to un peu makes it even smaller and softer. It's the natural way to accept something while signalling restraint.

Phrase Breakdown

Juste un

ZHoost uhn

Just a

'Juste' links into 'un': 'jus-tun'. The 'j' is soft, like the 's' in 'measure'.

Example

Juste un café.

Just a coffee.

Words in this phrase

Juste

[ZHoost]

Just

Indicates only or simply; emphasis on proximity.

Example

Il se tient juste à côté.

He stands just beside.

[uhn]

a / one

Indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un café peut être une bonne occasion de discuter.

A coffee can be a good opportunity to talk.

petit peu

puh-tee puh

little bit

'Un petit peu' means 'a little bit'. In fast speech 'petit' often sounds like 'ptee'.

Example

Un petit peu de sel.

A little bit of salt.

Words in this phrase

petit

[puh-tee]

little

Describes something small in size.

Example

Un petit garçon est venu.

A little boy came.

peu

[puh]

little

Used to indicate a small amount.

Example

Il y a peu de gens.

There are few people.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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