/pəti/
Translation
small, little, young
Word origin
From Vulgar Latin pittittus, an expressive word for 'small' of obscure origin, possibly imitative of childish speech. The English 'petit', 'petty' and 'petite' come from the French.
- Origin
- Vulgar Latin
- Root
- pittittus
- English cognates
- petty, petite
Grammar
Examples
au .
He lives in a small flat in the city centre.
.
A small effort each day helps to learn a foreign language.
.
Her three-year-old daughter is already starting to read words.
.
My little brother loves the Saturday morning cartoons on TV.
au .
We live in a small village by the river.
est un adjectif BAGS (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) qui se place généralement avant le nom : un petit chat, une petite ville. Il peut aussi exprimer l'affection ou la condescendance selon le contexte : mon petit (endearment to a child or pet), petit malin (clever little thing).
Le petit-déjeuner (breakfast, literally the little lunch) emprunte petit pour qualifier un repas léger. Tout petit (tiny, very small) est un renforcement. Petit à petit (little by little, gradually) est une locution équivalente de peu à peu. Les diminutifs affectifs sont nombreux : un petit coin, une petite douceur.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(13)On a le temps
1 min read · Core 1000
Chez le médecin
3 min read · Core 1000
Cuisiner ensemble
3 min read · Core 1000
Le bus manqué
3 min read · Core 1000
Le coup de téléphone
3 min read · Core 1000
Le nouveau docteur
3 min read · Core 1000
Le nouveau voisin
3 min read · Core 1000
Un après-midi de pluie
3 min read · Core 1000
Un matin au marché
3 min read · Core 1000
Clara trouve sa place
4 min read · Core 1000
Un voyage difficile
4 min read · Core 1000
Ce qu'il a dit
5 min read · Core 5000
Pas devant les clients
5 min read · Core 1000
Grammar articles
(9)French Adjective Agreement: Gender, Number, and Position Rules
French Adjective Position: Default, BAGS, and the Meaning Shifts
Reported Speech in French: Tense Backshift (dit que, a dit que)
French Imparfait: One Stem, One Set of Endings, One Irregular
French Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2): The Things That Stop You at the Plateau
French Noun Gender: Why Every Noun Is Le or La, and the Endings That Give It Away
Passé Composé vs Imparfait: How to Choose Between the Two French Past Tenses
French Superlatives: le plus, le moins, and the Irregulars
French Word Order: SVO, the Object Pronoun Inversion, and Six Rules That Cover 90% of Sentences
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petit: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "petit" (small, little, young): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 2.