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How to Say ‘A little, at first.’ in French

Un peu, au début.

uhn puh oh day-boo

[uhn puh oh day-boo]

Phrase Breakdown

Un peu,

uhn puh

A little,

Say 'un puh', with a nasal 'un'.

Example

Je parle un peu anglais.

I speak a little English.

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

a / one

Indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un café peut être une bonne occasion de discuter.

A coffee can be a good opportunity to talk.

peu

[puh]

a little

A common expression for a small amount or degree.

Example

Le mot "peu" aide à dire qu'il faut se calmer juste un peu.

The word "peu" helps say that we need to calm down just a little.

au début.

oh day-boo

at the beginning.

Say 'oh day-bü'. The 't' is silent.

Example

Au début, c'était dur.

At the beginning, it was hard.

Words in this phrase

[oh]

at the

A phrase used to indicate location, time, or a condition.

Example

Elle est au parc.

She is at the park.

début

[day-boo]

the beginning

The first part or early stage of something.

Example

Le début était intéressant.

The beginning was interesting.

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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