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BBC - English In A Minute (YouTube), 'Little' vs 'A little' - What's the difference? English In A Minute - YouTube

'Little' vs 'A little' - What's the difference? English In A Minute - YouTube

Hi, I'm Phil and I'm going to tell you the difference

between 'little' and 'a little'.

Yes, they almost mean the same thing.

No, we don't use them in the same way.

They both refer to small quantities

and we use them with uncountable nouns.

If we use 'little' with no article,

then it's usually negative

– the small quantity is a problem.

There's little money left – we can't buy anything.

Or:

There's little time left – we need to start now.

But if we use 'a little' with the article,

it's usually positive.

It almost means 'at least we've got some'.

We've got a little money – let's spend it on a party!

We've got a little time – let's have some tea.

Remember it like this:

If you've got a little money but little time,

you could pay someone to help you.

But if you've got little money and a little time,

you should do it yourself!

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Hi, I'm Phil and I'm going to tell you the difference

between 'little' and 'a little'.

Yes, they almost mean the same thing. ||ほとんど||||

No, we don't use them in the same way.

They both refer to small quantities |||||amounts |||||miktarlar ||指す||小さい|量 どちらも少量のことを指す

and we use them with uncountable nouns. |||||non-countable nouns|them そして、数えられない名詞と一緒に使う。

If we use 'little' with no article, ||||||冠詞 もし「little」を無冠詞で使うなら、

then it's usually negative

– the small quantity is a problem.

There's little money left – we can't buy anything.

Or:

There's little time left – we need to start now. 残された時間は少ない。

But if we use 'a little' with the article, しかし、『a little』を冠詞と一緒に使うとしたら、

it's usually positive. 通常はポジティブだ。

It almost means 'at least we've got some'. ||||mindestens||| 少なくとも、少しはある』という意味に近い。

We've got a little money – let's spend it on a party! お金は少ししかない!

We've got a little time – let's have some tea. 少し時間がある。お茶でも飲もう。

Remember it like this: こう覚えておいてほしい:

If you've got a little money but little time, お金は少しあるが時間がない、

you could pay someone to help you. 誰かにお金を払って手伝ってもらうこともできる。

But if you've got little money and a little time, しかし、もしあなたが少しのお金と少しの時間しか持っていないのなら、

you should do it yourself! 自分でやるべきだ!