Learn French: Tu as une minute ? - Do you have a minute?

Tu as une minute ?

Do you have a minute?

Breakdown of Tu as une minute ?

you (informal singular)

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Questions & Answers about Tu as une minute ?

Does une minute mean a literal minute or just a short amount of time, like in English?

Just like in English, it can mean both! Here, asking Tu as une minute ? is a casual, idiomatic way to ask "Do you have a moment?" or "Are you free to talk?".

Is minute always feminine?

Yes! Notice it uses the feminine word for "a" (une). In French, the main units of time on a clock—une heure (an hour), une minute (a minute), and une seconde (a second)—are all feminine.

Why isn't there an est-ce que at the beginning of this question?

In everyday, informal spoken French, people often ask questions simply by saying a regular statement and raising their voice at the end. So the statement Tu as une minute (You have a minute) becomes the question Tu as une minute ? (Do you have a minute?) just through tone of voice!

I keep mixing up as and a. Why is it as here?

As is the specific form of the verb avoir (to have) that goes with tu (the informal "you"). The word a is used with il, elle, or on (he, she, or we/one). So it is always tu as and il a.