English — few / a few / little / a little
Use few and a few with countable nouns, little and a little with uncountable nouns. The article a also changes the meaning: few and little are negative (almost none), while a few and a little are positive (some).
How it works
Choose by countability, then by article. Few and a few go with plural countable nouns (cars, friends); little and a little go with uncountable nouns (money, time, water). Without a, the word is negative: Few people came means almost nobody. With a, it is positive: A few people came means some did.
Examples
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| few (+ countable) | Few cars were left. | negative — not many, almost none |
| a few (+ countable) | A few cars were left. | positive — some, a small number |
| little (+ uncountable) | There is little time. | negative — not much, almost none |
| a little (+ uncountable) | There is a little time. | positive — some, a small amount |
Good to know
A common mistake is mixing countability: say a little money, not a few money, and a few friends, not a little friends. In everyday speech, few and little without a can sound formal; many speakers prefer not many or not much (There aren't many cars left; There isn't much time).