seulement un petit peu
To say only a little bit in French, say seulement un petit peu.
Use it to say you want or have only a small amount of something, or that something lasted only a short time.
What does it mean word for word?
seulement means only, un means a, petit means small and peu means little.
Which one should you use?
Drop seulement to say just a little bit: un petit peu. The shorter un peu means a little, while un petit peu stresses how small the amount is.
How does it change in a sentence?
Before a noun, add de: un petit peu de means a little bit of.
Did you know?
- The word seulement comes from the Early Medieval Latin phrase sōlā mente, which literally means 'with a single mind'.
- French speakers often use un petit peu as a social lubricant to soften a request or a critique, making the interaction feel less harsh.
- In casual conversation, the phrase un petit peu is often spoken so rapidly that the three words merge into a single, fluid sound.
Examples in context
- Je ne sais qu'un peu.I know only a little bit
- J'ai un tout petit peu de…I have a tiny bit of…
- C'est juste un peu.It's just a little bit
- Je parle juste un peu de français.I speak only a little bit of French.
- Il me reste un petit peu de temps.I have only a little bit of time left.
- J'ai un tout petit peu de sucre.I have a tiny bit of sugar.
- Je voudrais seulement un petit peu de sucre.I would like only a little bit of sugar.
- Il reste seulement un petit peu de temps.There is only a little bit of time left.
- Elle parle seulement un petit peu français.She speaks only a little bit of French.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are eating dessert together.
- GabrielTu veux encore du gâteau, Chloé ?Do you want more cake, Chloé?
- ChloéOui, seulement un petit peu, merci.Yes, only a little bit, thank you.
- GabrielJe vais t'en servir une petite part.I will serve you a small piece.
- ChloéC'est parfait, Gabriel.That's perfect, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries petit, peu, seulement, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
