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How to Say ‘Were you able to eat?’ in French

Tu as pu manger ?

tyoo ah pew mahn-ZHAY

[tyoo ah pew mahn-ZHAY]

💬 Usage Tip: Pu is the past form of pouvoir "to be able." The next verb stays in its basic form: Tu as pu dormir ? "Were you able to sleep?"

Phrase Breakdown

Tu as pu

tyoo ah pew

Were you able to

Passé composé of 'pouvoir' (can). 'Pu' uses the French [y] sound.

Example

Tu as pu dormir ?

Were you able to sleep?

Words in this phrase

Tu

[tyoo]

you

An informal singular pronoun used to address one person.

Example

Tu travailles dans une start-up ou une grande entreprise ?

Do you work in a start-up or a large company?

as

[ah]

have

Form of avoir used with tu to build the present perfect, as in have seen.

Example

Tu as vu ça juste avant le but ?

Did you see that just before the goal?

pu

[pew]

been able to

Past participle of 'pouvoir' (can).

Example

Je n'ai pas pu venir.

I couldn't come.

manger ?

mahn-ZHAY

eat

Infinitive verb. The ending '-er' sounds like é: 'man-jé'. Raise your voice at the end for a question.

Example

J'aime manger des fruits.

I like eating fruit.

Words in this phrase

manger

[mahn-ZHAY]

to eat

Infinitive verb.

Example

On va manger.

We are going to eat.

Related guides

French Conversation for Beginners: 6 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseSix basic French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour and introducing yourself to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.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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