Breakdown of Je mets un peu de sucre dans mon thé, puis je le mélange.
Questions & Answers about Je mets un peu de sucre dans mon thé, puis je le mélange.
French verbs change form to match their subject. Mettre is irregular in the present tense:
• je mets
• tu mets
• il/elle met
• nous mettons
• vous mettez
• ils/elles mettent
Since the subject is je, you use mets.
Un peu de means “a little (of).” After quantity words (un peu, beaucoup, assez, trop, etc.), French always uses de before a noun, regardless of gender or number:
• un peu de sucre
• beaucoup de lait
If you simply want “some sugar,” you’d use the partitive article du (de + le): du sucre.
Puis means “then.” It’s a simple conjunction to link sequential actions. You could also say:
• et ensuite je le mélange
• ensuite je le mélange
All are correct; puis is just a bit more concise.
Le is a direct object pronoun replacing le thé (masculine singular). In French, object pronouns normally precede the conjugated verb:
Je mélange le thé → Je le mélange
The only time pronouns follow the verb is in affirmative commands (e.g., “Mélange-le !”).
Both can mean “to stir,” but with a slight nuance:
• Mélanger focuses on mixing substances into a uniform whole.
• Remuer emphasizes the stirring motion.
In this context, they’re largely interchangeable: you could say je le mélange or je le remue.