Elle avait à peine fini son discours quand les applaudissements ont envahi la salle.
English: She had barely finished her speech when applause filled the room.
à peine /apˈɛn/ · adverb · CEFR B2. French translation of "barely".
See also: Vocabulary entry (French)
- Source term
- barely
- Translation
- à peine
- CEFR Level
- B2
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Image
Pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview
Listen to how "à peine" sounds in French.
Article, Gender & Forms
This adverb is shown in its dictionary form.
| Dictionary form | à peine |
|---|---|
| Use note | Use the form shown here as the lookup form. |
How to use it in a sentence
- Pattern
- Subject + helper/modal + à peine
- Examples
- Nous devons souvent à peine.
- Tip
- Adjust endings and word order to match the full sentence.
Example Sentences
Il gagne à peine assez pour payer son loyer mensuel.
English: He barely earns enough to cover his monthly rent payments.
J'entendais à peine sa voix à cause de la musique trop forte.
English: I could barely hear her voice over the loud music.
Related vocabulary
-
primarily → principalement
-
apparently → apparemment
-
partly → partiellement
-
basically → essentiellement
-
commonly → communément
-
largely → largement
-
potentially → potentiellement
-
strictly → strictement
-
essentially → essentiellement
-
literally → littéralement
-
briefly → brièvement
-
roughly → approximativement
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