Few means not many and goes before things you can count (few friends, few days); little means not much and goes before things you can't count (little time, little money). The article changes the tone: without a, few and little sound like “hardly any”, while a few and a little mean “some, and that's enough”.
few or little — can you pick the right one?
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few / a few + plural noun (people, days, questions); little / a little + uncountable noun (time, money, help); very few, very little; quite a few = many
- Few tourists visit the village in winter, so most cafés close until spring.
- I've got a little time before my train. Shall we grab a coffee?
- She's only lived here for a few months, but she already knows everyone on the street.
What changed
First versionThere were very little people at the concert, so we got seats at the front.
RevisionThere were very few people at the concert, so we got seats at the front.
People can be counted, so the right word is few: very few people. Little only goes before things that don't come in separate units: very little time, very little space.
In conversation, few and little without a sound rather formal, so people usually say not many and not much instead: Not many people came. And quite a few, despite the word few, means “quite a lot”: Quite a few of my colleagues work from home.
Your turn
Could you pick up ___ eggs on your way home? I want to make pancakes.
Show the answer
a few — Eggs are counted one by one, so it's a few eggs, meaning “several eggs”. A little goes before things you don't count, like a little milk or a little flour, and it doesn't work with eggs.
Describe a typical weekday. Say what you are short of: use few with something you can count and little with something you can't.
On weekdays I have very little free time, and there are few breaks between my classes.
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