French Language

Discuss and learn French: French vocabulary, French grammar, French culture etc.

French Vocab Games app for iPhone/iPad French-English dictionary French grammar French vocab/phrases

For the latest updates, follow @FrenchUpdates on Twitter!

Hi all

Can you please advise me how to say that you have just done something. e.g. how do you turn: -

j'ai  lu un livre - I have read a book

into

I have just read a book?

Would it be "j'ai juste lu un livre"? Google translate suggests "Je viens de lire un livre", which I believe literally translates to "I am coming from reading a book", but is this the correct way of putting it?

Many thanks for any help!

Merci

Jon

Views: 12196

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Hello

yes, we say "je viens de lire un livre". 

"Je viens de ...." is the correct way.

we can also say "je viens juste de ..." which means that you have ended the action very very recently (a short time before)

attention : you can find or hear  "j'ai juste lu un livre", but it has not at all the same meaning : it means "only"

Merci beaucoup Chantal!

Is it possible to say; Je juste viens de lire un livre to mean that you 'only' read a book or 'only just'  read it? I noticed that only was used with another grammar tense.

Thanks

Je juste viens de lire un livre : "juste" is not at the right place.

Je viens de lire un livre means that you read a book and you finished this book a short time before.

Je viens juste de lire un livre means that you read a book and you finished this book a very very short time before.

"Je prends juste un livre" (with "juste" and without "viens de" ) means that you take only one book.

Think you go at your parent's home and they are asking you what you want , you could answer : "Je prends juste un livre et je repars" = I am here only to take a book and I leave.

Thanks, Chantal.

RSS

Follow BitterCoffey on Twitter

© 2024   Created by Neil Coffey.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service