bu
The English phrase "drank" is translated into French as bu.
bu is the past participle of the verb boire (to drink).
Which one should you use?
In everyday conversation, bu is used within the passé composé to mean "drank" or "have drunk". However, in literary or formal written contexts, the passé simple is used instead, which takes the forms bus for the first and second person singular or but for the third person singular.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the completed past action "drank" in common speech, bu is used with the auxiliary verb avoir to form the passé composé (ai bu, as bu, a bu, avons bu, avez bu, ont bu).
When do people say it?
The informal expression Se taper un verre means "to have a drink".
Did you know?
- In France, if someone says they have bu comme un trou, they are saying they drank like a hole, which is the equivalent of the English 'drank like a fish'.
- The French language has a specific term boire un coup to suggest 'having a drink' together, where coup literally means 'a blow' or 'a hit'.
- To say you 'drank' something very quickly, you might use the expression boire cul sec, which literally means 'dry bottom'.
Examples in context
- Tom a trop bu.Tom drank too much.Tatoeba #1464307 by Rovo, translation #1094227 by CK
- Je bus le vin.I drank the wine.Tatoeba #2667572 by Julien_PDC, translation #2667567 by CK
- J'ai bu du lait.I drank milk.Tatoeba #2231522 by Amastan, translation #806340 by luna_moonsilver
- Je vais me taper un verre avec mes amis ce soir.I'm going out for a drink with my friends tonight.
- 225 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about their breakfast.
- HugoAs-tu bu ton café ?Did you drink your coffee?
- ChloéOui, j'ai déjà bu mon café.Yes, I already drank my coffee.
- HugoMoi, je n'ai rien bu.Me, I drank nothing.
- ChloéTu as oublié de boire !You forgot to drink!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
