Quantifiers: 'few', 'a few', 'little' and 'a bit of'
Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable and uncountable nouns.
I have a few friends, so I'm not lonely.
She has few friends, so she's quite lonely.
We've got a bit of time before our train. Shall we get a coffee?
We've got very little time before our train. Hurry up!
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough or more than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a little with uncountable nouns.
I have a few ideas.
I've brought a few friends.
There's a bit of milk left.
It needs a little more work.
We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount. Often we feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for countable nouns and very little is for uncountable nouns.
Few people came to the meeting.
There are few places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have very little money.
Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds quite formal.
She had little water.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
I was confused, you're right
a bit of = a little
very little = little
To be honest, I didn’t understand this topic but I will try to chat something
u can train with yourself by using chatgpt or gemini
Hello
In above example can i say
I have a few money? Than i have a little money?
Because money is countable
Hello David998,
It sounds strange but in English money is uncountable, so you can use quantifiers like 'a little', 'some' or 'a lot of' but you can't use 'a few'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Money is uncountable because you can't say I have one money two money or three money, you say the value of the money like 1 dollar. That's why we used little money
I would like to appreciate to every one who contributed on this topic. I have leant a lot
Dear The LearnEnglish Team,
May I know the difference of "a few" and "some".
Thank you.
Hello Long Khanh,
In terms of grammar, 'a lot of' can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, while 'a few' can only be used with countable; 'a little' is the equivalent for uncountable nouns.
In terms of meaning, I think they are very close and any differences would be context dependent. 'A few' usually suggests that the amount is satisfactory or sufficient for some purpose. For example, if I said 'I have a few hours free today' it would imply that I can do something (go for a coffee with you, finish a task etc). 'Some' is a little more neutral, I would suggest. However, as I said, these are context-dependent nuances.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you for your prompt reply. Is it true that “a few” generally indicates a number or a figure of five or less. On the other hand, “some” indicates a larger quantity that ranges between five and ten?