Meaning
4 sensesAn indefinite, but usually small, number of.
There are a few cars (=some, but a relatively small number) in the street.
Quite a few people (=a significant number) were pleasantly surprised.
wenig
немно́гийnemnógij, ма́лоmálo, не́сколькоnéskolʹko
ма́лоmálo, кі́лькаkílʹka, небага́тоnebaháto
Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.
Very few did she have not to go there, did she?
I was expecting a big crowd at the party, but very few people (=almost none) turned up.
ма́лоmálo
Obscuring one to two oktas (eighths) of the sky.
Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight.
(US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.
Examples
5869 sentencesI gave him a few books.
Я дав йому кілька книжок.
ruЯ дал ему несколько книг.
deIch gab ihm einige Bücher.
A few days later, he came.
Він прийшов через декілька днів.
ruНесколько дней позже он пришёл.
deEin paar Tage später kam er.
She has very few close friends.
У неї мало близьких друзів.
ruУ неё очень мало близких друзей.
deSie hat sehr wenige enge Freunde.
I've met Tom a few times.
Я кілька разів зустрічав Тома.
Just give me a few hours.
Просто дай мені кілька годин.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, frFrom Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
fewer/less, fewest/leastSynonyms
1 synonymsAntonyms
1 antonymsWord family
11 related wordsCollocations
12 patterns- few days days
- for a few
- a few minutes
- a few days
- few minutes
- few days
- a few more
- a few years
- a few hours
- few more days
- only a few
- have a few