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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | a tiny bit, a splash, a dab; somewhat, kind of | |
| Literally | a little little | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[peuh tee peuh] |
| IPA | [pə ti pə] | |
Usage notes: The French expression un petit peu is used to talk about a very small amount of something. Un peu means "a little," so un petit peu is an even smaller amount than that. It’s commonly used to answer questions and can be further emphasized with juste (just) or tout (very).
Par exemple…
| – Vous avez de l’argent ? – Un petit peu. |
– Do you have any money? – A tiny bit. |
|
| – Encore du vin ? – Juste un petit peu. |
– More wine? – Just a splash. |
|
| – Il est toujours fâché ? – Oui, un tout petit peu. |
– Is he still mad? – Yes, a tiny bit. |
You can also use it in statements, either on its own …
| Je lis tous les jours un petit peu. | I read a little every day. | |
| Il pleut juste un petit peu. | It’s only raining a little bit. |
… or followed by de + noun …
| J’ai mangé un petit peu de gâteau. | I ate a tiny bit of cake. | |
| Elle veut un tout petit peu de vin. | She wants a tiny splash of wine. |
… or followed by a description.
Par exemple…
| Il est un petit peu timide. | He’s somewhat shy. | |
| C’est un petit peu comme Paris. | It’s a little bit like Paris. |
Related lesson
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