je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu français
The English phrase "I only know a little bit of french" is translated into French as je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu français.
This phrase is used to manage expectations during a conversation to signal that the speaker's proficiency is very low.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'I do not speak but a very little bit of French'. In this construction, un tout petit peu means 'a very little bit', where tout acts as an adverb to intensify the adjective petit, meaning 'a very small amount'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you want to be more casual, you can use the shorter phrase je parle un peu français to say "I speak a little French". You might say Je n'ai qu'une connaissance limitée de la langue française to mean "I have only a limited knowledge of the French language".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase utilizes the ne… que construction. Rather than being a true negation, this functions as a restrictive particle meaning "only".
Did you know?
- In spoken French, native speakers almost always drop the ne in je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu, saying je parle qu'un tout petit peu instead.
- French speakers may respond to this phrase with C'est déjà ça, which means 'that is already something'.
- The name of the language français derives from the 'Franks', a group of Germanic tribes who settled in the region during the early Middle Ages.
Examples in context
- Salut! Ça va bien, merci. Je ne parle qu'un peu de français.Hi! I'm doing well, thank you. I only speak a little bit of French.
- Bonjour, enchanté également. Je ne parle qu'un petit peu de français.Hello, likewise. I only speak a little bit of French.
- Désolé, je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu français.Sorry, I only speak a very little bit of French.
- Est-ce que tu comprends ? Non, je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu français.Do you understand? No, I only speak a very little bit of French.
Example conversation
Gabriel is meeting Manon for the first time in Paris.
- ManonBonjour ! Est-ce que vous habitez ici ?Hello! Do you live here?
- GabrielBonjour. Je ne parle qu'un tout petit peu français.Hello. I only speak a little bit of French.
- ManonCe n'est pas grave, je peux parler anglais.That's okay, I can speak English.
- GabrielOh, merci beaucoup Manon !Oh, thank you very much Manon!
