How to say you have "just" done something.

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

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on March 6, 2013 at 1:26pm

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"

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Permalink Reply by Jon Head on March 6, 2013 at 2:51pm

Merci beaucoup Chantal!

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on March 8, 2013 at 3:51pm

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

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on March 9, 2013 at 9:17pm

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.