I've been taught that "just" is placed before the element it modifies. As in:
Can I use your computer just for a few minutes?
In this case the emphasis is that it will take no longer than a few minutes.
So far, so good.
But then I've come across this sentence:
Can I just use your computer for a few minutes?
I can't make sense of "just" before "use", because nobody would think that you might want to sell, steal or smash my computer, and that you are pointing out that you just want to use it.
Is it the case that "just" still modifies "for a few minutes" though it is "displaced"? Is there any other explanation for the position of "just" in the sentence?
Thank you!
Best Answer
The second usage of "just" is being used to minimize the request as a whole. In other words, it is saying "what I am asking for is really a small thing and it costs you nothing". It suggest that what the person is asking for is trivial or harmless or costs nothing and therefore there is no reason not to grant the request. Thus, Cyndi Lauper sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".
So in this case it is modifying "use", but not in the sense of "do this thing and no other things" but in the sense of "do this trivial thing that costs you nothing".