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Expressing small quantities and the difference between positive and negative meanings.
Little, a little, few and a few express small quantities.
The correct choice depends on whether the noun is countable or uncountable and on the intended meaning.
I have little time before my appointment.
У меня мало времени до встречи.
"Little" is used with the uncountable noun "time" and suggests that the amount is insufficient.
I have a little time before my appointment.
У меня есть немного времени до встречи.
"A little" suggests that the amount is small but sufficient.
Few people came to the meeting.
На собрание пришло мало людей.
"Few" is used with the plural countable noun "people" and suggests that the number was insufficient.
A few people came to the meeting.
На собрание пришло несколько человек.
"A few" suggests a small but sufficient number of people.
There is little water left.
Осталось мало воды.
"Little" modifies the uncountable noun "water".
There is a little water left.
Осталось немного воды.
"A little" indicates that some water remains and may be enough.
Few students understood the question.
Мало студентов поняли вопрос.
"Few" expresses a disappointingly small number.
A few students stayed after class.
Несколько студентов остались после занятия.
"A few" indicates a small but meaningful number of students.
Little is used with uncountable nouns and usually has a negative meaning.
It suggests that the amount is insufficient or less than expected.
I have little money left.
У меня осталось мало денег.
"Little" suggests that the remaining amount is insufficient.
There is little hope of finding the missing file.
Мало надежды найти пропавший файл.
"Little" suggests that the amount of hope is very small.
We have little information about what happened.
У нас мало информации о том, что произошло.
"Little" modifies the uncountable noun "information".
She has little experience with this type of software.
У нее мало опыта работы с таким программным обеспечением.
"Little" suggests that her experience is insufficient.
There is little interest in the proposal.
К предложению мало интереса.
"Little" indicates a lower-than-desired amount of interest.
He had little patience for the repeated questions.
У него было мало терпения к повторяющимся вопросам.
"Little patience" suggests that he was not very patient.
There is little room in the car for another passenger.
В машине мало места для еще одного пассажира.
"Little room" indicates insufficient space.
We have little time to finish the report.
У нас мало времени, чтобы закончить отчет.
"Little" suggests that the available time is insufficient.
A little is used with uncountable nouns and has a positive meaning.
It indicates that there is a small but sufficient amount.
I have a little money left.
У меня осталось немного денег.
"A little" indicates that some money remains.
We have a little time before the movie starts.
У нас есть немного времени до начала фильма.
"A little" presents the amount as small but available.
There is a little milk in the refrigerator.
В холодильнике есть немного молока.
"A little" is used with the uncountable noun "milk".
She has a little experience with customer support.
У нее есть небольшой опыт работы с клиентами.
"A little" suggests that some experience exists.
Add a little salt to the soup.
Добавь немного соли в суп.
"A little" describes a small quantity of an uncountable substance.
I need a little help with this form.
Мне нужна небольшая помощь с этой формой.
"A little help" means some help, without suggesting that it is insufficient.
There is a little room left in the garage.
В гараже осталось немного места.
"A little" indicates that some space remains.
He showed a little concern about the problem.
Он проявил небольшую обеспокоенность по поводу проблемы.
"A little" indicates a small amount of concern rather than none.
Few is used with plural countable nouns and usually has a negative meaning.
It suggests that the number is smaller than desired or expected.
Few people understood the instructions.
Мало людей поняли инструкции.
"Few" suggests that the number of people was smaller than expected.
Few students finished the assignment on time.
Мало студентов закончили задание вовремя.
"Few" indicates an insufficiently small number.
Few customers complained about the change.
Мало клиентов пожаловались на изменение.
"Few" emphasizes that the number of complaints was small.
Few houses survived the storm.
Мало домов пережили бурю.
"Few" expresses a surprisingly small number of surviving houses.
Few people know about the problem.
Мало кто знает об этой проблеме.
"Few" means that only a small number of people know.
Few employees were willing to work on the weekend.
Мало сотрудников были готовы работать в выходные.
"Few" suggests an unexpectedly small number of willing employees.
Few applicants met all the requirements.
Мало кандидатов соответствовали всем требованиям.
"Few" indicates that the number meeting the requirements was small.
Few options were available after the deadline.
После крайнего срока оставалось мало вариантов.
"Few" emphasizes the limited number of options.
A few is used with plural countable nouns and has a positive meaning.
It indicates that there are enough people or things for the situation.
I need a few minutes.
Мне нужно несколько минут.
"A few" indicates a small but sufficient number of minutes.
I have a few questions about the project.
У меня есть несколько вопросов по проекту.
"A few" suggests that there are some questions, enough to be relevant.
We invited a few friends over for dinner.
Мы пригласили нескольких друзей на ужин.
"A few" indicates a small group of friends.
A few people stayed after the meeting.
Несколько человек остались после собрания.
"A few" indicates a small but meaningful number.
I have a few dollars left.
У меня осталось несколько долларов.
"A few" is used with the plural countable noun "dollars".
There are a few seats available near the front.
В передней части еще есть несколько свободных мест.
"A few" indicates that some seats remain available.
She made a few changes to the document.
Она внесла несколько изменений в документ.
"A few" presents the number of changes as small but sufficient.
We have a few options to consider.
У нас есть несколько вариантов, которые можно рассмотреть.
"A few" indicates that several options are available.
Use few and a few with plural countable nouns, and little and a little with uncountable nouns.
Choosing the correct pair depends entirely on the noun type.
I have few friends in this city.
У меня мало друзей в этом городе.
"Few" modifies the plural countable noun "friends".
I have little free time these days.
В последнее время у меня мало свободного времени.
"Little" modifies the uncountable noun "time".
She has a few close friends.
У нее есть несколько близких друзей.
"A few" is used with the plural countable noun "friends".
She has a little free time after work.
После работы у нее есть немного свободного времени.
"A little" is used with the uncountable noun phrase "free time".
Few employees use the old system.
Мало сотрудников используют старую систему.
"Few" requires a plural countable noun.
There is little information available.
Доступно мало информации.
"Little" requires an uncountable noun such as "information".
A few problems remain.
Осталось несколько проблем.
"A few" modifies the plural countable noun "problems".
There is a little water in the bottle.
В бутылке есть немного воды.
"A little" modifies the uncountable noun "water".
The article a changes the meaning from negative to positive.
Compare I have little time with I have a little time.
I have little time left.
У меня осталось мало времени.
"Little" suggests that the amount is not enough.
I have a little time left.
У меня осталось немного времени.
"A little" suggests that some time remains and may be enough.
Few people came to the event.
На мероприятие пришло мало людей.
"Few" suggests disappointment about the small number.
A few people came to the event.
На мероприятие пришло несколько человек.
"A few" presents the number as small but sufficient.
There is little money left for the trip.
На поездку осталось мало денег.
"Little" suggests that the remaining money may not be enough.
There is a little money left for the trip.
На поездку осталось немного денег.
"A little" suggests that some money is still available.
Few employees volunteered for the project.
Мало сотрудников вызвались участвовать в проекте.
"Few" implies that the number was smaller than expected.
A few employees volunteered for the project.
Несколько сотрудников вызвались участвовать в проекте.
"A few" indicates that there were enough volunteers to be useful.
Very may strengthen the meaning of few and little.
Examples include very few opportunities and very little information.
Very few people attended the workshop.
На семинар пришло очень мало людей.
"Very" strengthens the small number expressed by "few".
Very few students finished the assignment on time.
Очень мало студентов закончили задание вовремя.
"Very few" emphasizes an unexpectedly low number.
Very little information is available online.
В интернете доступно очень мало информации.
"Very little" strengthens the small amount of uncountable "information".
There is very little time left.
Осталось очень мало времени.
"Very little" suggests that almost no time remains.
Very few seats were available.
Свободных мест было очень мало.
"Very few" modifies the plural countable noun "seats".
Very little money was available for the project.
Для проекта было доступно очень мало денег.
"Very little" modifies the uncountable noun "money".
Very few customers returned the product.
Очень мало клиентов вернули товар.
"Very few" emphasizes the unexpectedly small number of customers.
We had very little experience with the system.
У нас было очень мало опыта работы с системой.
"Very little" strengthens the meaning of insufficient experience.
Quite a few and quite a little often mean a surprisingly large amount rather than a small one.
Their meaning differs from the literal interpretation of the individual words.
Quite a few people came to the concert.
На концерт пришло довольно много людей.
"Quite a few" usually means a fairly large number, not merely a small one.
I've visited quite a few states.
Я посетил довольно много штатов.
"Quite a few" suggests more than the listener might expect.
We received quite a few applications.
Мы получили довольно много заявок.
"Quite a few" indicates a substantial number of applications.
There is quite a little money in the account.
На счете довольно много денег.
"Quite a little" can indicate a surprisingly substantial amount.
She has quite a little experience in this field.
У нее довольно большой опыт в этой области.
"Quite a little" presents the amount as more substantial than expected.
We spent quite a little time discussing the issue.
Мы потратили довольно много времени на обсуждение этого вопроса.
"Quite a little" can suggest a surprisingly substantial amount of time.
He has quite a few friends in New York.
У него довольно много друзей в Нью-Йорке.
"Quite a few" refers to a substantial number of friends.
We have quite a little work left to do.
У нас осталось довольно много работы.
"Quite a little" can mean a surprisingly substantial amount of work.
These quantifiers occur in both spoken and written English, although alternatives such as not many and not much are common in conversation.
Register influences which expression sounds most natural.
There are few opportunities in this area.
В этой области мало возможностей.
"Few" is concise and common in formal or neutral writing.
There aren't many opportunities in this area.
В этой области не так много возможностей.
"Not many" is often more conversational than "few".
There is little evidence to support the claim.
Есть мало доказательств в поддержку этого утверждения.
"Little" is concise and formal with an uncountable noun.
There isn't much evidence to support the claim.
Недостаточно доказательств в поддержку этого утверждения.
"Not much" is often more conversational than affirmative "little".
Few participants reported problems.
Лишь немногие участники сообщили о проблемах.
"Few" works well in formal reports.
Not many participants reported problems.
Не так много участников сообщили о проблемах.
"Not many" is more conversational and less compressed.
Little progress has been made.
Был достигнут небольшой прогресс.
"Little progress" is a concise formal expression.
We haven't made much progress yet.
Мы пока не добились большого прогресса.
"Haven't made much" is common in conversational English.
Little and few appear in many idiomatic expressions.
Examples include little by little, every few days and few if any.
Little by little, the project started to improve.
Постепенно проект начал улучшаться.
"Little by little" is a fixed expression meaning gradually.
We check the system every few days.
Мы проверяем систему каждые несколько дней.
"Every few days" means once every small number of days.
Few, if any, customers noticed the change.
Мало кто, если вообще кто-то, заметил изменение.
"Few, if any" means probably none or almost none.
He made little by little progress on the project.
Он постепенно продвигался в работе над проектом.
"Little by little" emphasizes gradual progress.
I hear from her every few weeks.
Я получаю от нее известия каждые несколько недель.
"Every few weeks" refers to recurring intervals of several weeks.
Few, if any, of the proposals address the real issue.
Мало какое из предложений, если вообще какое-то, решает настоящую проблему.
"Few, if any" strongly emphasizes that almost none satisfy the condition.
Little by little, she became more confident.
Постепенно она стала более уверенной в себе.
"Little by little" describes gradual change.
Few, if any, employees have access to that system.
Мало кто из сотрудников, если вообще кто-то, имеет доступ к этой системе.
"Few, if any" is a formal way to emphasize an extremely small number.
Choose the correct quantifier according to noun type and intended meaning.
Common mistakes include confusing little with a little, few with a few and using little with countable nouns or few with uncountable nouns.
I have a little time left.
У меня осталось немного времени.
Use "a little" when some uncountable quantity remains and the meaning is positive or sufficient.
I have little time left.
У меня осталось мало времени.
Use "little" when emphasizing that the amount is insufficient.
I have a few questions.
У меня есть несколько вопросов.
Use "a few" with plural countable nouns for a small but useful number.
Few people understood the instructions.
Мало людей поняли инструкции.
Use "few" when emphasizing that the number was disappointingly small.
There is little information available.
Доступно мало информации.
"Information" is uncountable, so use "little", not "few".
There are a few options available.
Есть несколько доступных вариантов.
"Options" is plural and countable, so "a few" is appropriate.
We have very little time.
У нас очень мало времени.
"Very little" is used with the uncountable noun "time".
We have quite a few options.
У нас довольно много вариантов.
"Quite a few" means a surprisingly substantial number, not simply "a few".