Juste Et Justement
It's easy to figure out the difference.
The French words juste and justement are sometimes confusing and have many shades of meaning which, as in English, depend on context. Adding to the confusion is that juste is sometimes an adverb, and sometimes an adjective. Nevertheless, their meanings are very similar to the various meanings of “just” in English.
Juste As An Adverb
French Expression English Translation Meaning
Il faut juste appuyer sur ce bouton. You have to just push this button. only
L’avion est arrivé juste à l’heure. The aircraft arrived right on time. right,exactly
Je veux juste un dernier baiser. I just want one last kiss. only
C’est juste ma chance! That’s just my luck! precisely,
exactly
BUT, a word of caution! If you want to say that you just did something in the immediate past as a function of time, like “I just arrived”, then you must use the verb phrase venir de in the present tense, literally translated “come from”, followed by the infinitive action verb:
Je viens d’arriver à l’aéroport. I just arrived at the airport. it just happened
Elle vient de gagner son match. She just won her match. It just happened
Nous venons de rencontrer Thomas. We just met Thomas. It just happened
Juste As An Adjective
French Expression English Translation Meaning
La sentence du juge n’était pas juste. The judge’s sentence was not just. representing
justice
Les hommes sont stupides! C’est juste! Men are stupid! That’s right! right, correct,
true
C’est tout juste. It’s all right (correct) all is correct,
no mistake
...adding the -ment suffix to the adjective juste turns it into an adverb... just like adding -ly to an adjective in English.
Justement- Always An Adverb
As with many other French adjectives, adding the -ment suffix to the adjective juste turns it into an adverb, just like adding -ly to an adjective in English: exact-exactly.
French Expression English Translation Meaning
C’est justement ce que je veux. That’s exactly what I want. exactly,
precisely
Je cherche justement le patron. I’m actually looking for the boss. actually
Justement non, j’ai détesté ça. In fact no, I hated that. in fact,
actually
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