little

petit

De petite taille.

En anglais simple : Small in size.

• She carried a little bag.
• We stayed in a little house by the sea.
• Those little boxes contain seeds.

Synonymes : small, tiny

Contraires : big, large

Expressions courantes : a little house, a little box, a little piece

petit, jeune

Jeune et encore en train de grandir, souvent évoqué avec affection.

En anglais simple : Young and still growing, especially when spoken about with affection.

• The little girl waved.
• My little brother started school today.
• Two little kittens slept beside their mother.

Synonymes : young

Contraires : grown-up, adult

Expressions courantes : a little boy, my little sister, little children

court, bref

Qui dure peu de temps ou couvre une courte distance.

En anglais simple : Lasting a short time or covering a short distance.

• Wait a little while.
• We walked a little way along the beach.
• A little rest made her feel better.

Synonymes : short, brief

Contraires : long

Expressions courantes : a little while, a little way, a little walk, a little distance

peu de

Indique une petite quantité de quelque chose, souvent insuffisante par rapport aux besoins ou aux souhaits.

En anglais simple : A small amount of something, often less than is needed or wanted.

• We have little time.
• She showed little interest in the game.
• Very little food was left after the party.

Comment l'utiliser : little + uncountable noun (There is little water left.); little of + determiner/pronoun (Little of the money reached the village.)

Synonymes : not much

Contraires : much

Expressions courantes : little time, very little money, little or no

peu

Une petite quantité, souvent insuffisante, sans nommer à nouveau ce dont on parle.

En anglais simple : A small amount, often less than is needed, without naming the thing being discussed.

• Little is known about her childhood.
• We ate most of it, so little remained.
• How can they achieve so much with so little?

Comment l'utiliser : little of something (Little of what he said was useful.)

Synonymes : not much

Contraires : much

Expressions courantes : little is known, little remained, do very little

peu, à peine

À un degré très faible ou très rarement.

En anglais simple : Only to a small degree or very rarely.

• The village has changed little.
• This treatment is little used today.
• She cared little about expensive clothes.

Synonymes : slightly, not much, hardly

Contraires : greatly

Expressions courantes : little known, little changed, little used

nullement, pas du tout

Exprime une négation totale, notamment quand quelqu’un ne se doute pas de ce qui va arriver.

En anglais simple : Not at all, especially when someone has no idea what will happen.

• Little did I know what was coming.
• He little suspected that his friend was lying.
• Little did they realize how much their lives would change.

Comment l'utiliser : little + auxiliary verb + subject + verb (Little did she know that a surprise awaited her.)

Synonymes : not at all

Expressions courantes : little did someone know, little did someone suspect, little did someone realize