❓🤝🖊️

How to Say ‘Can I borrow a pen?’ in French

Je peux emprunter un stylo ?

zhuh puh ahn-pruhn-TAY uhn stee-LOH

[zhuh puh ahn-pruhn-TAY uhn stee-LOH]

💬 Usage Tip: Je peux plus a basic verb is an easy way to ask permission. For example, Je peux sortir ? "Can I go out?"

Phrase Breakdown

Je peux emprunter

zhuh puh ahn-pruhn-TAY

Can I borrow

Say 'zhuh puh ahn-prun-tay'. The 'x' in 'peux' is silent but links to the next vowel with a light 'z' sound: 'puh-z-ahn'.

Example

Je peux emprunter ta gomme ?

Can I borrow your eraser?

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

peux

[puh]

can

Form of pouvoir meaning to be able to or can.

Example

Je peux vous présenter mes compétences en quelques minutes.

I can present my skills to you in a few minutes.

emprunter

[ahn-pruhn-TAY]

to borrow

To take something temporarily, intending to give it back.

Example

Je veux emprunter ta gomme.

I want to borrow your eraser.

un stylo ?

uhn stee-LOH

a pen?

Say 'uhn stee-loh' with a nasal 'un'. Let your voice rise at the end for a question.

Example

Tu as un stylo ?

Do you have a pen?

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un casque est important pour le roller.

A helmet is important for inline skating.

stylo

[stee-LOH]

pen

A pen for writing with ink.

Example

Il a perdu son stylo.

He lost his pen.

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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