How to Say ‘I brought a small gift for you.’ in French
J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous.
zh eh ah-por-tay uhn puh-tee ka-doh poor voo
[zh eh ah-por-tay uhn puh-tee ka-doh poor voo]
💬 Usage Tip: [J'] only appears joined to the next word, here before [ai]. The full form is [je], but before a vowel sound French shortens it: [j'ai], [j'espère], [j'adore].
🇫🇷 In France: Saying [J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous.] is warm and modest. [Petit] helps it sound thoughtful rather than showy, which usually lands well with family.
Phrase Breakdown
J'ai apporté
zh eh ah-por-tay
I brought
Passé composé of apporter, used to say you brought something to someone.
J'ai apporté du pain.
I brought some bread.
Words in this phrase
J'
[zh]
I
Short form of 'je' before a vowel, meaning 'I'.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », J' veut dire « I ».
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'J'' means 'I.'
ai
[eh]
have
Used with a past participle to form the past tense.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », ai aide à former le passé.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'ai' helps form the past tense.
apporté
[ah-por-tay]
brought
Shows that you brought something with you.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », apporté parle de ce que j'ai amené.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'apporté' refers to what I brought.
Un petit cadeau
uhn puh-tee ka-doh
a small gift
A noun phrase with petit meaning 'small'. Cadeau means 'gift' or 'present'.
Il m'a offert un petit cadeau.
He gave me a small gift.
Words in this phrase
un
[uhn]
a
Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a'.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », un introduit le nom cadeau.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'un' introduces the noun 'gift.'
petit
[puh-tee]
small
Describes the gift as small, simple, and modest.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », petit rend l'offre plus humble.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'petit' makes the offer sound more humble.
cadeau
[ka-doh]
gift
A present offered to someone.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », cadeau est l'objet offert.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'cadeau' is the item being offered.
Pour vous
poor voo
for you
Shows the intended recipient. Pour can mean 'for' or 'in order for'.
C'est pour vous.
It's for you.
Words in this phrase
pour
[poor]
for
Introduces the person who receives the gift.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », pour indique le destinataire.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'pour' indicates the recipient.
vous
[voo]
you
The polite or plural form of 'you'.
Dans « J'ai apporté un petit cadeau pour vous. », vous est une forme polie.
In 'I brought a small gift for you,' 'vous' is a polite form.
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