Kilo Lingo

/pø/

Line drawing of peu
Coloured illustration of peu
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Translation

little, few, not much

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.

, .

In a short while, everyone will know the news.

patience .

A little patience helps to learn a language.

.

There is little bread left for breakfast tomorrow.

cuisiner plat correctement.

Few people really know how to cook this dish properly.

Peu 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.

Used in

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This word is part of lesson 2.