Join Discordseulement
only
just
merely
Je serai là dans seulement deux minutes.
I'll be there in only two minutes.
(introducing an objection or limitation) but
however
except that
J'aurais bien voulu venir, seulement j'étais malade.
I would have liked to come, but I was sick.
Notes
GENERAL INFO
Seulement is an adverb meaning "only" or "just." It indicates a limitation or restriction.
USAGE
It usually precedes the word or phrase it modifies.
For example: "J'ai seulement une heure" (I only have one hour). It can also emphasize a point: "Il a seulement dit la vérité" (He merely told the truth).
TRAPS
Seulement can often be replaced by the structure "ne...que" in French, especially when expressing "only" in a quantity or time. "J'ai seulement deux livres" means the same as "Je n'ai que deux livres."
While often interchangeable, "ne...que" often implies a stronger sense of limitation.