Learn Hardcore French: Mon budget mensuel est petit.

Mon budget mensuel est petit.

My monthly budget is small.

Breakdown of Mon budget mensuel est petit.

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Questions & Answers about Mon budget mensuel est petit.

Why is it mon budget and not something like le budget or un budget?

Mon means my. In French, you normally show possession with a possessive adjective:

mon budget = my budget
le budget = the budget (in general, not clearly mine)
un budget = a budget (not specific, not clearly mine)

In this sentence, you are talking specifically about your own monthly budget, so mon budget is the most natural choice.

Why is it mon and not ma, since budget ends with a -t that looks like it could be feminine?

French gender is not based on spelling; it’s grammatical and has to be memorized for each noun.

budget is grammatically masculine in French.
Masculine singular my = mon
Feminine singular my = ma

So you must say:

✅ mon budget (correct)
❌ ma budget (incorrect)

Why is it budget mensuel and not mensuel budget like in English (monthly budget)?

In French, most adjectives come after the noun:

English: monthly budget (adjective before noun)
French: budget mensuel (noun budget
- adjective mensuel)

So:

✅ un budget mensuel = a monthly budget
❌ un mensuel budget (this is not French grammar)

Some common adjectives do come before the noun (e.g. petit, grand, bon, beau), but mensuel follows the usual rule and goes after the noun.

Could I say mon budget par mois instead of mon budget mensuel? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say mon budget par mois, but there are nuances:

mon budget mensuel
- More compact and a bit more formal/standard.
- Sounds like the typical phrase you’d see in writing, in banking, etc.
mon budget par mois (my budget per month)
- Slightly more informal and explanatory.
- Emphasizes the idea of per month.

Both are correct; budget mensuel is the more idiomatic fixed expression.

Why is it mensuel and not mensuelle?

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe:

budget is masculine singular → adjective must also be masculine singular: mensuel

Other forms of the same adjective:

Masculine singular: mensuel → un budget mensuel
Feminine singular: mensuelle → une facture mensuelle (a monthly bill)
Masculine plural: mensuels → des budgets mensuels
Feminine plural: mensuelles → des factures mensuelles

So with budget, you must use mensuel.

Why is it petit and not petite?

Same idea: adjective agreement.

budget = masculine singular
So the adjective must be masculine singular: petit

Forms of petit:

Masculine singular: petit → un petit budget
Feminine singular: petite → une petite maison
Masculine plural: petits → de petits budgets
Feminine plural: petites → de petites maisons

So:

✅ mon budget mensuel est petit
❌ mon budget mensuel est petite

Is petit the most natural word for “small” here, or is something like faible or limité better?

All are possible, but they have slightly different flavors:

petit
- Very common, neutral, everyday.
- Focuses on the size of the budget.
- Mon budget mensuel est petit = My monthly budget is small.
faible
- Literally weak / low.
- Sounds a bit more formal or analytical (like in finance articles).
- Mon budget mensuel est faible.
limité
- Emphasizes restrictions / tightness.
- Suggests you don’t have much room to spend.
- Mon budget mensuel est limité.
serré
- Informal, very common in speech for tight budget.
- J’ai un budget mensuel très serré.

For a neutral learner sentence, petit is perfectly natural.

Can I also say J’ai un petit budget mensuel? Is it different from Mon budget mensuel est petit?

Both are correct, with a slight difference in style and focus:

Mon budget mensuel est petit.
- Literally: My monthly budget is small.
- Structure: subject (my budget) + verb (is) + adjective (small).
- Slightly more descriptive, a bit more “static.”
J’ai un petit budget mensuel.
- Literally: I have a small monthly budget.
- Structure: I have
  - a small budget.
- Feels a bit more natural in conversation, focuses on what you have.

In everyday speech, J’ai un petit budget mensuel (or even just J’ai un petit budget) is very common.

Could I say C’est petit, mon budget mensuel instead of Mon budget mensuel est petit?

You could, but it changes the tone.

Mon budget mensuel est petit.
- Neutral statement.
- Standard, clear, and good for learners.
C’est petit, mon budget mensuel.
- More colloquial and expressive.
- Sounds like: It’s small, my monthly budget.
- Feels like a comment or complaint, not a neutral description.

So Mon budget mensuel est petit is the best “textbook” version.

How do you pronounce mensuel and are there any liaisons in Mon budget mensuel est petit?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA-style and English-like hints):

mon → /mɔ̃/ (nasal mohn, one syllable, nasalized on sound)
budget → /bydʒɛ/ (similar to byoo-jay, but with French u /y/)
mensuel → /mɑ̃sɥɛl/ (roughly mahn-swehll)
est → /ɛ/ (just like è)
petit → /pəti/ (puh-TEE)

Liaisons:

Normally, you do not make a liaison between budget and mensuel.
But you do usually make one between mensuel and est:
- mensuel est → pronounced like mensuel-est /mɑ̃sɥɛl‿ɛ/

So the flow is roughly:

Mon budget mensuel‿est petit → mohn byoo-jay mahn-swehll-è puh-TEE

Is budget the same in French and English? Could I use salaire or revenu instead?

They’re related but not identical:

budget
- The amount you plan or allow yourself to spend.
- Mon budget mensuel est petit. = My monthly budget is small.
salaire
- Specifically your salary / pay.
- Mon salaire mensuel est petit. = My monthly salary is small.
revenu
- Your income, all money you receive (not only salary).
- Mon revenu mensuel est faible. = My monthly income is low.

So:

budget = what you plan to spend
salaire / revenu = what you receive/earn

In your sentence, budget is the right word if you’re talking about how much you can afford to spend.