Paul verse un peu d'huile dans la casserole.

Paul pours a little oil into the pot.

Breakdown of Paul verse un peu d'huile dans la casserole.

• Paul: Paul
• dans: in
• un peu de: a little
• la casserole: the pot
• l'huile: the oil
• verser: to pour

Questions & Answers about Paul verse un peu d'huile dans la casserole.

What does verse mean here, and what’s the verb and tense?

It’s the 3rd person singular present of the regular -ER verb verser, meaning “to pour.” So Paul verse = “Paul pours” (now or habitually).

How do you pronounce verse?

Roughly “vairss.” IPA: [vɛʁs]. The final -e is silent, but the -s is pronounced [s]. Don’t confuse it with vers (towards), which is pronounced [vɛʁ] (no final [s]).

Why is it un peu d’huile and not un peu de l’huile?

After quantity expressions (e.g., un peu, beaucoup, trop, assez), French uses de (or d’ before a vowel): un peu d’huile.

• Neutral, unspecified amount: un peu d’huile.
• If you mean “a little of the specific oil” already known, you can keep the article: un peu de l’huile que tu as achetée (“a bit of the oil that you bought”). This is less common and context-dependent.

Why d’huile and not de huile?

Elision: de becomes d’ before a vowel or a mute h. Huile begins with a vowel sound (the h is mute), so you must write d’huile.

Is huile feminine or masculine?

Feminine. Say de l’huile, l’huile, une huile (in the literal sense of “an oil”). Hence: un peu d’huile (not “du huile”).

What’s the nuance between un peu d’huile and peu d’huile?

• Un peu d’huile = a little oil (some; neutral/positive).
• Peu d’huile = little oil (not much; suggests insufficiency).

Could I also say Paul verse de l’huile dans la casserole?

Yes. De l’huile simply means “some oil” (unspecified quantity). Un peu d’huile highlights that it’s only a small amount.

Why dans la casserole and not dans une casserole?

• Dans la casserole implies a specific, known pan (e.g., the one already on the stove).
• Dans une casserole introduces a new, non-specific pan (“into a pan”). Both are possible depending on context. French often uses the definite article where English might use “the” or just omit the article.

Why dans and not en or sur?

• Dans = into/inside something: dans la casserole.
• Sur = on/on top of: sur la casserole would mean onto its surface (usually wrong here).
• En is not used for “into a container” in this sense; it marks state/manner/material (e.g., en métal) or locations like en France.

What exactly is a casserole in French?

A casserole is a saucepan (pot with a handle, used on the stove). Don’t confuse it with the English “casserole dish/bake.” Related cookware:

• une poêle = frying pan/skillet
• une marmite or un faitout = large pot
• une cocotte = Dutch oven/casserole pot

Could I use ajouter or mettre instead of verser?

• Verser focuses on the action of pouring a liquid (or granules).
• Ajouter = to add (neutral, any method).
• Mettre = to put/place (very general). So verser is the most precise for pouring oil; ajouter would also be fine in a recipe; mettre is less specific.

How can I replace parts with pronouns?

• Replace d’huile with en: Paul en verse un peu.
• Replace dans la casserole with y: Paul y verse un peu d’huile.
• Replace both (order: y before en): Paul y en verse un peu.

How do I negate this sentence?

Place ne … pas around the verb and use de/d’ for the noun after negation:

• Paul ne verse pas d’huile dans la casserole.

How do I say it in other tenses?

• Past (passé composé): Paul a versé un peu d’huile dans la casserole.
• Imperfect (ongoing past): Paul versait un peu d’huile…
• Near future: Paul va verser un peu d’huile…
• Simple future: Paul versera un peu d’huile…

Any pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?

• Paul: [pɔl]
• verse: [vɛʁs] (hear the final [s])
• un peu: [œ̃ pø] (nasal un, rounded peu)
• d’huile: [dɥil] (mute h; the ui is a glide [ɥi], like rounding your lips then saying “wee”)
• dans: [dɑ̃] (nasal vowel; final -s silent here)
• la casserole: [la kasʁɔl] (double s = [s], not [z])