petit
/pə.ti/
The English word 'little' can be translated into French as petit.
petit is used to describe things that are small in physical size. When you want to express a small quantity or degree, you can use the phrase un petit peu to mean 'a little bit'. To indicate a very small or teeny tiny size, you can use the phrase tout(e) petit(e).
Meaning: small in size (adj)
Which one should you use?
petit refers specifically to physical size, whereas peu is used to express a small quantity or amount.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use petite for feminine singular, petits for masculine plural and petites for feminine plural. Additionally, peu can be used as an adverb to mean 'not much' or as a determiner in the form peu de to mean 'a small amount'. Other related words include quelques for 'a few' or 'some', and minuscule for 'tiny' or 'minuscule'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /pə.ti/.
Did you know?
- In France, petit-déjeuner is the word for 'breakfast', which literally translates to 'little breakfast'. This is because it is the meal that 'breaks' the overnight fast.
- The word petit shares an ancestral root with the English word 'pittance', which refers to a small, insufficient amount of money.
- If you call a person un petit joueur, you are not calling them a 'little player', but actually accusing them of being 'unsportsmanlike' or 'cheap'.
Examples in context
- Le pauvre petit !Poor little boy!This example shows the use of petit to express sympathy for a little boy.Tatoeba #4705271 by thowas, translation #4705274 by thowas
- Encore un petit peu.Just a little more.This example demonstrates using petit within a phrase to mean 'a little bit'.Tatoeba #400215 by sysko, translation #495631 by FeuDRenais
- Le petit garçon joue.The little boy plays.This example shows how to use petit to describe a little boy.Tatoeba #3127519 by PERCE_NEIGE, translation #3128596 by brad
- Le garçon est petit.The boy is little.
- La fleur est petite.The flower is little.
- Un oiseau menu.A slender bird.
- Une voix menue.A soft voice.
- J'ai acheté une maison toute petite.I bought a very small house.
- Il ne reste qu'une toute petite part de gâteau.There's only a teeny tiny piece of cake left.
- Ils ont peu d'argent.They have little money.
- J'ai rencontré quelques amis hier soir.I met a few friends last night.
- Une araignée minuscule se cachait dans le coin de la pièce.A tiny spider was hiding in the corner of the room.
- Les fourmis transportent de minuscules morceaux de nourriture.Ants carry tiny pieces of food.
- 616 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are looking at a souvenir shop.
- NathanCe petit sac est mignon.This little bag is cute.
- ChloéOui, mais il est trop petit.Yes, but it is too small.
- NathanTu veux un plus grand ?Do you want a bigger one?
- ChloéNon, je cherche un petit modèle.No, I am looking for a small model.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “little” translations and entries petit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries petit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
