 Confusing words in English, just and only, from espressoenglish.net. The word just has two definitions. One is very recently. For example, I just washed the floor, and it's still wet. In this case, the word just means I washed the floor just a few minutes ago. Here's another example. Is Dana in? No, sorry, she just left for lunch. Again, in this case, just means very recently. The second definition of just is the same as only. For example, I have just one brother. Is the same as I have only one brother. Here's another example. He ate just half a sandwich. Equals, he ate only half a sandwich. So, how do you know when just means very recently and when just means only? Here's one tip. Just plus noun is the same as only plus noun. Just two students pass the test. Only two students pass the test. Students is a noun, so these two sentences are the same. However, just plus a verb is not equal to only plus a verb. The sentence I just washed the floor means I washed the floor recently. The sentence I only washed the floor means I washed the floor, but I didn't wash the table or anything else. When using just, the word order is important. For example, I just ate two pieces of pizza means I ate the pizza recently. But if we change the word order and say, I ate just two pieces of pizza, then this means I ate only two pieces and not three or four. Thanks for watching English Tips from Espresso English. If you liked this video, please share it.