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How to Say ‘I saw some friends’ in French

J'ai vu des amis

zhay ay VOO day ah-MEE

[zhay ay VOO day ah-MEE]

💬 Usage Tip: J' is je shortened before a vowel and always attaches to the next word. It never appears on its own.

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai vu

zhay ay VOO

I saw

Passé composé of 'voir'. 'J'ai' sounds like 'zhay', and 'vu' needs rounded lips.

Example

J'ai vu un film.

I saw a film.

Words in this phrase

[zhay]

Pronoun used by the speaker to refer to himself or herself.

Example

J'aime les bonbons.

I like candies.

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

[VOO]

seen / saw

Past participle of 'voir' (to see).

Example

Tu as vu ce film ?

Have you seen this film?

des amis

day ah-MEE

some friends

Liaison: 'day-za-MEE'. The 's' of 'des' is pronounced as 'z' before the vowel.

Example

J'ai des amis à Lyon.

I have friends in Lyon.

Words in this phrase

des

[day]

some / plural indefinite article

Plural article used before nouns when speaking generally about unspecified people or things.

Example

Des profils polyvalents sont très recherchés aujourd'hui.

Versatile profiles are highly sought after today.

amis

[ah-MEE]

friends

Plural of 'ami', a friend.

Example

Mes amis sont gentils.

My friends are kind.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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