| Principal Translations |
| few adj | (not many) | poco/a adj |
| | Few people know that Schumann's wife was also a gifted composer. |
| | Pocas personas saben que la esposa de Schumann era también una compositora talentosa. |
| few pron | (not many people) | pocos pron |
| Note: Used with a plural verb |
| | Few have ever seen this painting. |
| | Pocos han visto esta pintura. |
| a few adj | (small number of) | algunos adj |
| | | unos pocos, unos cuantos loc adj |
| | I've got a few questions to ask you. |
| | Tengo algunas preguntas que hacerle. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Unas cuantas personas vinieron a mi fiesta de cumpleaños. |
| a few pron | (small number) | algunos pron |
| | | unos pocos pron |
| | | unos cuantos pron |
| Note: Used with a plural verb |
| | A few came, but not many. |
| | Vinieron algunos, pero no muchos. |
| a few of pron | (small number) | algunos de pron + prep |
| | | unos pocos de pron + prep |
| | | unos cuantos de pron + prep |
| Note: Used with a plural verb |
| | A few of her students failed the exam. |
| | Algunos de sus estudiantes reprobaron el examen. |
| the few npl | (minority) | los pocos nmpl |
| | The few who knew him well, loved him dearly. |
| | Los pocos que lo conocieron, lo amaban. |
Compound Forms:
few | fewest |
| a few bob n | UK, slang, dated (money: small sum) | unas monedas loc nom fpl |
| | (ES: coloquial) | un poco de pasta loc nom m |
| | (AmL) | unos pesos loc nom mpl |
| | (MX) | unos varos loc nom mpl |
| | I gave a few bob to the kid next door; he helped me wash the car. |
| | Le di unas monedas al niño de la casa de al lado, que me ayudó a lavar el auto. |
| a few bob n | UK, slang (money: quite a lot) | estar forrado expr |
| | | bastante dinero adj + nm |
| | That couple have a big house and a nice car; they must be worth a few bob. |
| | La pareja tiene una casa grande y un buen auto, deben estar forrados. |
| a few times adv | (on several occasions) | algunas veces loc adv |
| | | en ocasiones loc adv |
| | | unas cuantas veces loc adv |
| | That boy has come over a few times and always behaved himself. |
| | El chico ha venido a casa algunas veces y siempre se ha comportado correctamente. |
| a few times adv | (with several repetitions) | un par de veces loc adv |
| | After you do it a few times it doesn't seem so terrible. |
| | Después de hacerlo un par de veces no te parecerá tan difícil. |
| a few too many expr | (an excessive number of) | demasiados adj |
| | | muchos adj |
| | This has happened a few too many times now. It has to stop. |
| | Esto ya ha pasado demasiadas veces. Tiene que parar. |
| | Esto ya ha pasado muchas veces. Tiene que parar. |
| every few adj | (at intervals) | cada tanto loc adv |
| | My brother, who lives two hundred miles away, visits us every few weeks. |
| few and far between adj | colloquial (rare) | contado/a adj |
| | These days, public telephone boxes are few and far between. |
| | En estos días las cabinas telefónicas son contadas. |
| the happy few npl | figurative (small number of fortunate people) | los pocos afortunados adj + nmpl |
| have a few too many v expr | UK, slang (drink alcohol to excess) | beber unas cuantas copas de más loc verb |
| | The bartender kept her car keys because she had had a few too many. |
| | El barman se quedó con las llaves de su coche porque ella había bebido unas cuantas copas de más. |
| in a few words adv | (succinctly) | en pocas palabras loc adv |
| | That's such a long story! I'll tell you in a few words. |
| | ¡Es una historia muy larga! Te la cuento en pocas palabras. |
| man of few words n | (man who speaks very little) | hombre de pocas palabras grupo nom |
| | He may be a man of few words, but when he does say something it's worth hearing. |
| | Es un hombre de pocas palabras, pero cuando dice algo, vale la pena escucharle. |
| not a few adj | (quite a lot) | no pocos loc adj |
| | There were not a few vegetarians among us. |
| | Entre nosotros, no pocos eran vegetarianos. |
| of few words adj | (taciturn, who rarely speaks) | de pocas palabras loc adj |
| | He's the strong, silent type, a man of few words. |
| | Es un tipo recio y de pocas palabras. |
| quite a few adj | (a considerable number of) | muchos adj |
| | I didn't expect many participants, but quite a few people actually came. |
| | Asistieron muchas personas, no esperábamos tantas. |
| quite a few adv | (a considerable number) | bastante adv |
raise eyebrows,
raise a few eyebrows v expr | informal, figurative (cause surprise) | causar sorpresa, causar asombro loc verb |
| | | llamar la atención loc verb |
raise eyebrows,
raise a few eyebrows v expr | informal, figurative (cause disapproval) | causar rechazo loc verb |
| say a few words v expr | informal (make a short speech) | decir unas palabras loc verb |
| | I was asked to say a few words at my Grandpa's funeral. |
| | Me pidieron que dijera unas palabras en el funeral del abuelo. |
| select few npl | (small number of chosen people) | pocos privilegiados adj + nmpl |
| | | pocos elegidos adj + nmpl |
| | Only a select few are accepted into the society each year. |
| | I was among the select few to attend the private viewing. |
| | Sólo unos pocos privilegiados son aceptados en la sociedad cada año. |
| to name but a few expr | (some of a long list) | por mencionar solo algunos expr |
| | | por nombrar unos pocos expr |
| | What lakes are in Minnesota? To name but a few, Red Lake, Gull Lake, and Lake Minnetonka. |
| too few adj | (not a high enough number of) (formal) | insuficientes adj |
| | I have too few books to fill my bookcase. |
| | Tengo insuficientes libros para llenar mi biblioteca. |
| too few adj | (not enough: in number) | muy pocos loc adj |
| | | pocos adj |
| | We tried to fight the plans to build a huge shopping centre just outside our village, but we were too few against a huge corporation; we lost. |
| | Tratamos de luchar contra el plan de construir un gran centro comercial fuera del pueblo, pero éramos muy pocos contra una corporación enorme, perdimos. |
| very few adj | (not many) | muy pocos loc adj |
| | There are very few pills left in the bottle; I need to call the doctor to get a new prescription. |
| | Quedan muy pocas píldoras en la botella, debo llamar al doctor para que me haga una nueva receta. |
| very few adj | (rare) | raros adj |
| | Desde entonces se han registrado raros casos de esa enfermedad. |