Elle est petite
In French, "she is small" is said as Elle est petite.
In French, the adjective petite can refer to both physical height and general size or scale.
Which one should you use?
While Elle est petite means "she is small", other forms change the nuance: Elle est de petite taille means "she is of small stature" and Elle est minuscule is used to express that she is small in an extreme or poetic way.
Did you know?
- While petite means 'small', using it to describe a woman as une petite can be an affectionate way to say 'sweetheart' or 'girlfriend'.
- The word est is one of only two words in the entire French language that retains a silent internal 's' in its spelling, the other being Jésus-Christ.
- In French, petite is frequently used to describe a 'small' amount of time, such as une petite minute, which often actually refers to several minutes.
Examples in context
- Elle est petite.She is small.This example shows the use of Elle est petite.Tatoeba #8660252 by Julien_PDC, translation #8660355 by shekitten
- Elle est petite, mais elle a une personnalité incroyable.She is small, but she has an incredible personality.
- Elle est de petite taille, mais elle impressionne par sa détermination.She is of small stature, but she impresses with her determination.
- Elle est minuscule, mais son talent est immense.She is tiny, but her talent is immense.
- Oh, regarde mon amie, elle est petite, mais elle est si puissante !Oh, look at my friend, she is small, but she is so powerful!
- Elle est toute petite, mais elle a un cœur énorme.She is so small, but she has a huge heart.
- Regarde cette petite chienne, elle est riquiqui mais tellement mignonne !Look at this little dog, she is tiny but so cute!
- Elle est petite pour son âge.She is small for her age.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a photo of Manon's sister.
- HugoEst-ce que ta sœur est grande ?Is your sister tall?
- ManonNon, elle est petite.No, she is small.
- HugoElle est mignonne.She is cute.
- ManonMerci, c'est gentil.Thank you, that's kind.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elle, est, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
