seulement un peu
The English phrase 'only a little' is translated into French as seulement un peu.
seulement un peu is used to describe a small amount or a short duration of something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of seulement, which means 'only' and un peu, which means 'a little'.
Which one should you use?
While un peu is the standard way to say 'a little', seulement un peu is used when you want to emphasize the smallness of the amount by adding the restrictive sense of 'only'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use un peu as an adverbial phrase to modify a noun to mean 'a little bit of', you must add de (or d' before a vowel) after it.
Did you know?
- French speakers often use the phrase un petit peu to be even more polite or diminutive than un peu.
- The word peu is used in the common French idiom peu importe, meaning 'it doesn't matter'.
- The word peu shares an ancient root with the English word 'few', both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European term for a small number.
Examples in context
- Tom est seulement un peu plus vieux que Marie.Tom is only a little older than Mary.This sentence is useful for showing how to use seulement un peu in a comparison.Tatoeba #2948258 by Wakano, translation #2583957 by CK
- Je comprends juste un peu le français.I only understand a little bit of French.
- Il me reste juste un p'tit peu d'argent.I only have a little bit of money left.
- J'ai pas beaucoup dormi cette nuit.I didn't sleep much last night.
- Il y a juste un peu de lait dans le réfrigérateur.There is only a little bit of milk in the refrigerator.
- Je peux t'aider juste un p'tit peu avec ça.I can only help you a little bit with that.
- Je mange seulement un peu de fromage.I only eat a little bit of cheese.
- Il travaille seulement un peu le samedi.He only works a little on Saturdays.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about their coffee.
- ManonTu veux du sucre dans ton café ?Do you want sugar in your coffee?
- LucasNon, je veux seulement un peu de lait.No, I only want a little milk.
- ManonD'accord, voici ton lait.Okay, here is your milk.
- LucasMerci beaucoup, Manon.Thank you very much, Manon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries peu, seulement, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
