être juste

You use it just like the verb 'to be'. You can say je suis juste or on est un peu juste. Often, we add ce mois-ci to show it is a temporary problem. It is a very flexible phrase. You can use it for your bank account or a specific budget for a project.

Use it when a friend asks you to go to a fancy dinner. It is a polite way to say 'I am broke.' It works perfectly at the end of the month. You can also use it when discussing a professional budget. It signals that there is no room for error. It sounds more sophisticated than saying you have zero euros.

Do not use it to mean 'to be fair.' That is a different context entirely. If you want to say a judge is fair, you say il est équitable. Also, do not use it for physical tightness of clothes. For that, use étroit. Using être juste for a tight shirt will make people think your shirt owes money to the bank.

French culture can be private about specific salary numbers. Être juste is a brilliant social tool. It allows you to admit financial limits without losing face. It suggests a temporary 'tightness' rather than permanent poverty. It is the ultimate 'middle-class' way to decline an expensive invitation. It has been a staple of French conversation for decades.

You will often hear être court. This means the same thing—being 'short' on cash. Another one is être à sec, which means 'to be dry.' That one is much more informal. If you want to sound very dramatic, you can say être dans le rouge. This refers to the red numbers in a bank account. Stick to être juste for a polite, clear message.