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How to Say ‘I'm only staying for half an hour or so’ in French

Je ne reste qu'une petite demi-heure

zhuh nuh rest k ewn puh-teet duh-mee-UR

[zhuh nuh rest k ewn puh-teet duh-mee-UR]

💬 Usage Tip: Ne ... que wraps around the verb to mean "only": je ne bois que de l'eau "I only drink water". Que shrinks to qu' before a vowel and can't stand alone.

Phrase Breakdown

Je ne reste

zhuh nuh rest

I'm only staying

'Ne… que' means 'only'. In casual speech, 'je ne' often sounds like 'jeun'.

Example

Je ne reste pas longtemps.

I'm not staying long.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[nuh]

(negation) not

Negation particle used with another negative word (ne… rien). In speech, it can be dropped, but it’s standard in writing.

Example

Ne me raconte rien sur l’anime, je veux garder la surprise.

Don’t tell me anything about the anime, I want to keep the surprise.

reste

[rest]

stays; remains

Verb from rester, meaning to stay or remain.

Example

Elle reste calme dans sa caisse.

She stays calm in her crate.

qu'une petite demi-heure

k ewn puh-teet duh-mee-UR

a short half hour

'Qu'une' completes 'ne… que'. 'Demi-heure' sounds like 'de-mi-yeur'.

Example

J'ai qu'une petite demi-heure.

I only have a short half hour.

Words in this phrase

qu'

[k]

only (with 'ne')

'Ne... que' means 'only'.

Example

Je n'ai qu'un euro.

I only have one euro.

une

[ewn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before feminine singular nouns.

Example

Une rencontre comme celle-ci peut ouvrir des portes.

A meeting like this can open doors.

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.

demi-heure

[duh-mee-UR]

half an hour

Feminine noun for thirty minutes.

Example

J'arrive dans une demi-heure.

I'll be there in half an hour.

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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