Published June 25, 2024 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Un peu — Meaning and Pronunciation
Un peu is a common French adverbial expression meaning “a little” or “a bit.” It’s used to soften adjectives, verbs and quantities, as in un peu fatigué (a little tired), parler un peu (to speak a little) and un peu de sucre (a little sugar). Un petit peu means “just a little bit.” Peu de + noun means “little” or “few”. For example, peu de temps (little time) and peu d’amis (few friends).
IPA pronunciation of un peu is /œ̃ pø/ (IPA), which sounds like “uh(n) puh”.
Example Sentences
Un peu with a language
Je parle un peu français.
I speak a little French.
Un peu / un petit peu before an adjective
Je suis un peu fatigué.
I am a little tired.
Je suis un petit peu fatigué.
I am just a little tired.
Un petit peu as answer
Tu veux du sucre ? — Oui, un petit peu, s’il te plaît.
Do you want some sugar? — Yes, just a little, please.
Peu after a verb
Il parle peu.
He speaks little.
Peu for low frequency
Nous sortons peu ces jours-ci.
We do not go out much these days.
Peu de before a noun
J’ai peu de temps.
I have little time.
Elle a peu d’amis.
She has few friends.
Un peu de before noun
Je voudrais un peu d’eau.
I would like a little water.
Ajoute un peu de sucre.
Add a little sugar.
👉 Next lesson: beaucoup (a lot)
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Related words and expressions
- beaucoup de — a lot of, many
- assez de — enough
- trop de — too much, too many
- à peu près — approximately, about
- peu importe — it doesn’t matter
- autant de — as much, as many
- plus de — more
- peu à peu — little by little
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