These words tell us how much or how many. To choose the right one, ask two questions: Is the noun countable (chairs, friends) or uncountable (time, money)? And do you mean enough, not enough, or more than you want?
The pattern
We have a few minutes before the meeting.
There's a little milk in the fridge.
There's too much traffic today.
01A few and a little
Use a few with plural countable nouns: a few friends, a few days. Use a little with uncountable nouns: a little time, a little money. Both have a positive meaning: some, not a lot, but enough.
Only a few and only a little stress that the amount is small.
- I have a few questions about the lease.
- Can I get a little more coffee?
- Only a few people stayed after the game.
| with plural nouns | with uncountable nouns | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a few chairs | a little sugar | some, enough |
| (very) few chairs | (very) little sugar | not enough |
| a lot of chairs | a lot of sugar | a large amount |
| plenty of chairs | plenty of sugar | more than enough |
| too many chairs | too much sugar | more than you want |
| hardly any chairs | hardly any sugar | almost none |
| a couple of chairs | (not used) | two, or about two |
02Few and little: not enough
Without a, few and little are negative. They mean almost none, or not enough. "I have a few friends here" sounds happy. "I have few friends here" sounds lonely.
On their own, few and little can sound formal. In everyday American English, people usually say very few, very little, not many or not much.
- Very few stores are open this late.
- There's very little parking near the stadium.
- We had little time to prepare, so the presentation was rough.
03A lot of, lots of, plenty of, a couple of
A lot of and lots of work with both kinds of nouns. Lots of is a little more casual. In positive statements, Americans say a lot of, not much: "There's a lot of traffic," not "There's much traffic."
Plenty of means more than enough. A couple of means two, or a small number close to two. Drop of when no noun follows: "I have a lot." "We have plenty."
- She has lots of experience with customers.
- Relax, we have plenty of time.
- I'll be back in a couple of minutes.
04Too many, too much, hardly any
Too many (plural nouns) and too much (uncountable nouns) mean more than you want. It's a problem. Hardly any means almost none and works with both. Don't add not or no: say "hardly any," not "don't have hardly any" or "hardly no."
- There are too many tabs open on my laptop.
- I ate too much at Thanksgiving.
- There's hardly any gas in the car.
05Common mistakes
I need a few information.
I need a little information.
Information is uncountable, so use a little.
There were too much people at the mall.
There were too many people at the mall.
People is a plural countable noun, so use too many.
I have a lots of homework.
I have a lot of homework.
Say a lot of or lots of, never a lots of.
There's hardly no milk left.
There's hardly any milk left.
Hardly is already negative, so use any, not no.