Jadwiga
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We use a few with countable nouns in positive sentences to talk about a small number of people or things. I have a few books . There are a few people on the beach.
We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts: I’m not very happy about it but I suppose I have little choice. Few cities anywhere in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin. [talking about a period of history] At that time few people travelled who didn’t have to.
Do you know how to use a few, few, very little and a bit of? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you. Look at these examples to see how these quantifiers are used with countable and uncountable nouns.
I have met a few famous people in my life. In these sentences, a few means two or three. 'A few' is less than some but more than none. 'A few' is used with countable nouns (friends, people). few = not many / almost none. Mary has made few mistakes in her life.
Rule. Use a little for non-countable nouns (e.g., jam, time). Use a few if the noun is countable (e.g., jars of jam, students). For example: I have coffee with a little milk. She likes a few songs by Frank Sinatra. Examples for a little / a few. I always enjoy a little cream and sugar in my coffee.
We use a few and few + a plural countable noun. few people, few books, few letters a few people, a few books, a few letters: A few is a positive idea. Fortunately, our financial situation is good: we still have a few good customers. Few is a negative idea. It means 'almost none'. We can also use very few. I'm very sad: I have few good friends.
Few and little. We use a few with plural, countable nouns. For example, “A few people came to the party.” We use a little with uncountable nouns. For example, “There’s a little coffee left, if you would like some.” We can also use few and little (without “a”) to mean very few or very little (i.e. much less in quantity).
