Translation
little, few, not much
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Word origin
From Latin paucus ('few, little'). The English 'paucity' and 'few' (a distant Germanic cognate of the same Indo-European root) relate to this word.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- paucus
- English cognates
- paucity
Examples
.
He speaks little but works a lot in this group.
.
A little patience helps when learning a language.
, .
In a short while, everyone will know the news.
.
There is little bread left for breakfast tomorrow.
.
Few people really know how to cook this dish properly.
est un adverbe de quantité indiquant une faible quantité ou intensité. La locution un peu de atténue le sens : un peu fatigué (slightly tired) vs peu fatigué (not very tired) - nuance importante que les apprenants confondent souvent.
Peu à peu (gradually, little by little) est une locution adverbiale très utile. Sous peu (shortly, before long) s'utilise dans un registre légèrement soutenu. Ne pas confondre avec peut (3e personne de pouvoir), homonyme à l'oral.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(22)Chez la famille d'accueil
2 min read · Core 5000
Le pull
2 min read · Core 1000
Rendez-vous chez le docteur
2 min read · Core 5000
Un portable cassé
2 min read · Core 5000
Chez le médecin
3 min read · Core 1000
Une heure par jour
3 min read · Core 1000
Le nouveau voisin
3 min read · Core 1000
Le premier jour de travail
3 min read · Core 1000
Les Étoiles du quartier
3 min read · Core 5000
Les nouvelles habitudes d'Inès
3 min read · Core 5000
Lundi matin, nouvelle école
3 min read · Core 5000
Un après-midi de pluie
3 min read · Core 1000
Un échange en France
3 min read · Core 5000
Un matin au marché
3 min read · Core 1000
Le coffre du jardin
4 min read · Core 5000
Le mensonge de Théo
4 min read · Core 5000
Mathieu revient en ville
4 min read · Core 5000
Ceux qui ne mangent jamais
5 min read · Core 5000
Le détective
5 min read · Core 5000
Même pas à moi
5 min read · Core 5000
Paper Walls
5 min read · Core 5000
Pas un mot avant dimanche
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
(11)Advanced French Grammar (C1-C2): Constructions to Master
French Adverb Comparison: plus vite, le plus vite, le mieux
Conditionnel Passé: The French Conditional Perfect
dont in French: How to Use the Relative Pronoun
French Irregular Verbs: List, Chart and the Patterns
French Modal Verbs: pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir
French Gérondif and Present Participle: en + -ant Rules
French Partitive Articles: du, de la, des and When to Use de
Y and En in French: When to Use Each Pronoun, with Examples
French Subjunctive in Relative Clauses, with Examples
French Subjunctive vs Indicative: How to Choose
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French · Free printables
peu: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "peu" (little, few, not much): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 11: peu, oh, maintenant and 6 more words.