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How to Say ‘I paid next to nothing for it.’ in French

Je l'ai payée trois fois rien.

zhuh l ay peh-YAY trwah fwah ree-en

[zhuh l ay peh-YAY trwah fwah ree-en]

Phrase Breakdown

Je l'ai payée

zhuh l ay peh-YAY

I paid for it

'L'' refers to a feminine object, such as 'la robe'. 'Payée' sounds like 'pé-yé'.

Example

Je l'ai payée en liquide.

I paid for it in cash.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[l]

Refers to a previously mentioned noun.

Example

Je l'ai acheté hier.

I bought it yesterday.

[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.

payée

[peh-YAY]

paid

Past participle of 'payer', feminine to agree with a feminine object.

Example

La robe, je l'ai payée cher.

The dress, I paid a lot for it.

trois fois rien.

trwah fwah ree-en

next to nothing.

An idiom for a very low price. All final letters are silent.

Example

C'est trois fois rien.

It's next to nothing.

Words in this phrase

trois

[trwah]

three

The number three, often used in time expressions.

Example

Trois ans dans la même entreprise m'ont beaucoup appris.

Three years in the same company taught me a lot.

fois

[fwah]

times

Occurrences or occasions.

Example

Je viens quelques fois ici.

I come here sometimes.

rien

[ree-en]

nothing

Not anything; no single thing.

Example

Il n'y a rien ici.

There is nothing here.

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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