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How to Say ‘I grew up near the sea.’ in French

J'ai grandi près de la mer.

zhem ay grahn-DEE preh duh lah mair

[zhem ay grahn-DEE preh duh lah mair]

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai grandi

zhem ay grahn-DEE

I grew up

Say 'zhay grahn-DEE'.

Example

J'ai grandi en France.

I grew up in France.

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.

grandi

[grahn-DEE]

grown up

Past participle of 'grandir' (to grow up).

Example

Il a grandi à Paris.

He grew up in Paris.

près de la mer.

preh duh lah mair

near the sea.

Say 'pray duh la MAIR', with a falling tone at the end.

Example

J'habite près de la mer.

I live near the sea.

Words in this phrase

près

[preh]

near; close to

A preposition used to indicate proximity to a place or object, often followed by de.

Example

Près de la fenêtre, ce serait parfait.

Near the window would be perfect.

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

[lah]

the

A definite article preceding a noun.

Example

La porte est ouverte.

The door is open.

mer

[mair]

sea

Feminine noun for the sea.

Example

La maison est près de la mer.

The house is near the sea.

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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