few
gb/fjˈu/ us/fjˈu/
A2
Anglais
~ 600
Sens
0 sens
adjective
A2
property
1
Not many in number
Only a small number of people or things.
Schéma d’usage :
a few [plural noun]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often confuse 'few' with 'a few'. 'Few' without 'a' can mean 'almost none', which has a more negative meaning than 'a few'.
Synonymes
several (Indicates more than two but not many; can sometimes imply slightly more than 'few'.)
|
some (Less specific than 'few'; does not necessarily suggest a small number.)
Antonymes
many (Indicates a large number, the opposite of 'few' in quantity.)
|
numerous (Means 'very many', directly opposing the idea of 'few'.)
Collocations
a few friends
|a few minutes
|few chances
|few options
|few people
Thèmes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- I have only a few close friends.
- There are a few cookies left in the jar.
- She needs a few minutes to finish her work.
- We saw a few birds in the garden this morning.
- He asked a few questions about the project.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I have a few books.
- We see a few cars on the road.
- She has a few pens in her bag.
- They wait for a few minutes.
- I eat a few apples every week.
adjective
B1
property
2
Hardly any in number
Almost no people or things; not enough.
Schéma d’usage :
few [plural noun]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use 'few' when they mean 'a few', unintentionally making the sentence sound negative.
Synonymes
hardly any (Emphasizes the extremely small quantity, similar to 'few' in this sense.)
|
scarce (Implies rarity or difficulty in finding something.)
Antonymes
plenty (Suggests more than enough, the opposite of scarcity.)
|
abundant (Means present in large quantities, opposite of 'few' in this sense.)
Collocations
few opportunities
|few resources
|few supporters
|few details
Thèmes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Few people attended the meeting due to the rain.
- There are few reasons to doubt her honesty.
- We have few options left at this point.
- Few students passed the difficult exam.
- In this remote area, there are few shops.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Few people live here.
- We have few chairs for the guests.
- There are few buses at night.
- Few animals can survive here.
- Few students like this subject.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
few
API
GB/fjˈu/
US/fjˈu/
Syllabes et accentuation
few (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (few)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: few
- Comparative: fewer
- Superlative: fewest
Famille de mots
Forms
fewer
adjective
fewest
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
many
adjective A1
Expressions
a few
1/ə fjˈu/
fixed phrase
Small number of items or people
A small number of things or people.
Exemples
- I have a few friends in this city.
- Can you give me a few minutes?
a few
2/ə fjˈu/
fixed phrase
A small number of something
Some, but not many, people or things.
Exemples
- I have a few ideas for the party.
- We met a few old friends at the café.
few and far between
1/fjˈu ˈænd fˈɑɹ bɪtwˈin/
idiom
Happening very rarely
Not happening often; rare.
Exemples
- Good jobs like that are few and far between these days.
- Good job offers are few and far between these days.
- Moments like this are few and far between.
- In this desert, water sources are few and far between.
quite a few
1/kwˈaɪt ə fjˈu/
fixed phrase
A fairly large number
A good number of people or things; many.
Exemples
- We’ve had quite a few problems lately.
- Quite a few people showed up for the early meeting.
- There were quite a few people at the party.
- She has quite a few books on that subject.