juste un petit peu
In French, "just a little bit" is translated as juste un petit peu.
This phrase is used to express a small amount of something or a short distance. It is a more emphatic way of saying "a little" to highlight that the amount is very small or negligible.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase juste un petit peu is composed of juste (just), un (a), petit (little) and peu (bit/amount).
Which one should you use?
While un peu simply means "a little", using juste un petit peu adds emphasis to show that the quantity is truly minuscule. For even more emphasis, you can say un tout petit peu to mean "a tiny little bit" by inserting tout before petit.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Provence region, you may encounter the expression chouïa to mean "just a little bit".
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use this phrase before a noun, you must add the preposition de. For example, un petit peu de sel means "a little bit of salt".
Did you know?
- The term chouïa used in Provence is actually a loanword from the Arabic word shwayya.
- In French, the word peu can change the entire meaning of a sentence if you remove the article un. While un peu means 'a little', peu on its own means 'hardly any'.
- The word juste in this phrase comes from the Latin iūstus, which originally meant 'upright' or 'lawful'.
Examples in context
- Juste un petit peu.Just a little bit.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase juste un petit peu.Tatoeba #1932265 by cruella, translation #1932258 by cruella
- J'ai juste besoin d'un petit peu d'eau, s'il vous plaît.I just need a little bit of water, please.
- Pourriez-vous parler un petit peu plus lentement ?Could you speak a little bit slower, please?
- Je ne peux prendre qu'une petite quantité de chocolat.I can only have just a little bit of chocolate.
- Je peux avoir un peu de gâteau ?Can I have a little bit of cake?
- Attends, je suis un peu fatigué.Wait, I'm a little bit tired.
- Il ne reste pas beaucoup de pizza, juste un peu.There's not a lot of pizza left, just a little bit.
- Je voudrais juste un petit peu de sucre.I would like just a little bit of sugar.
- Il reste juste un petit peu de lait.There is just a little bit of milk left.
Example conversation
Chloé is helping Gabriel with a picture frame.
- ChloéEst-ce que c'est droit ?Is it straight?
- GabrielNon, déplace-le juste un petit peu à gauche.No, move it just a little bit to the left.
- ChloéComme ça ?Like this?
- GabrielOui, c'est parfait maintenant.Yes, it is perfect now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries juste, petit, peu, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
