French Phrase
Je peux venir avec quelqu'un ?
Meaning
Literally, “Can I come with someone?” It is a polite request for permission to accompany another person, whether it’s a friend, a colleague, or a family member.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to ask a host, a teacher, or a colleague if it’s okay for you to arrive together with another person. It works in both informal and semi‑formal settings, but you may choose a more formal version in very polite contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jepeuxveniravecquelqu'un?
Subject pronoun (Je)
‘Je’ is the first‑person singular subject pronoun, placed before the verb.
Modal verb pouvoir (peux)
‘Peux’ is the present‑tense form of ‘pouvoir’ for ‘je’, used to ask for permission.
Infinitive verb (venir)
After a modal verb, the main verb stays in the infinitive; here ‘venir’ means ‘to come’.
Preposition avec
‘Avec’ means ‘with’ and introduces the person you want to accompany.
Indefinite pronoun quelqu’un
‘Quelqu’un’ means ‘someone’; the apostrophe replaces the missing ‘e’ in ‘quelque’ before a vowel.
Question mark
The whole sentence is a yes/no question; intonation rises at the end.
🗨In Conversation
Je peux venir avec quelqu'un ?
Can I come with someone?
Oui, bien sûr. Qui vient avec vous ?
Yes, of course. Who is coming with you?
✕Common Mistakes
Je peux venir à quelqu'un ?
‘À’ is the wrong preposition; you need ‘avec’ to mean ‘with’. ‘Je peux venir à quelqu'un’ would mean ‘I can come to someone’.
Je peut venir avec quelqu'un ?
‘Peut’ is the third‑person form; with ‘je’ you must use ‘peux’. Using ‘peut’ makes the sentence ungrammatical.
Je peux venir avec quelqu un ?
The apostrophe is required because ‘quelque’ loses the ‘e’ before a vowel. Writing ‘quelqu’ without the apostrophe is incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Est‑ce que je peux venir avec quelqu'un ?
Is it okay if I come with someone?
Puis‑je venir avec quelqu'un ?
May I come with someone?
Je peux venir avec une personne ?
Can I come with a person?
Je peux venir avec mon ami ?
Can I come with my friend?
Cultural Tip
In French, asking for permission with ‘pouvoir’ is very common, but the level of formality matters. ‘Puis‑je…’ sounds more formal and is often used in written or official contexts, while ‘Je peux…?’ is perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation. Also, be aware that ‘avec quelqu’un’ can be vague; if you know who the person is, naming them (e.g., ‘avec mon frère’) is clearer and sounds more natural.