little

piccolo

Di dimensioni ridotte.

In inglese semplice: Small in size.

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

Sinonimi: small, tiny

Contrari: big, large

Espressioni comuni: a little house, a little box, a little piece

piccolo, giovane

Giovane e ancora in crescita; spesso detto con affetto.

In inglese semplice: 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.

Sinonimi: young

Contrari: grown-up, adult

Espressioni comuni: a little boy, my little sister, little children

breve, corto

Che dura poco tempo o copre una distanza breve.

In inglese semplice: 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.

Sinonimi: short, brief

Contrari: long

Espressioni comuni: a little while, a little way, a little walk, a little distance

poco, appena

In misura molto ridotta o molto raramente.

In inglese semplice: 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.

Sinonimi: slightly, not much, hardly

Contrari: greatly

Espressioni comuni: little known, little changed, little used

affatto, per niente

Esprime una negazione totale, soprattutto quando qualcuno non ha idea di ciò che accadrà.

In inglese semplice: 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.

Come si usa: little + auxiliary verb + subject + verb (Little did she know that a surprise awaited her.)

Sinonimi: not at all

Espressioni comuni: little did someone know, little did someone suspect, little did someone realize

poco

Indica una quantità ridotta di qualcosa, spesso inferiore a quella necessaria o desiderata.

In inglese semplice: 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.

Come si usa: little + uncountable noun (There is little water left.); little of + determiner/pronoun (Little of the money reached the village.)

Sinonimi: not much

Contrari: much

Espressioni comuni: little time, very little money, little or no

poco

Una quantità ridotta, spesso insufficiente, senza nominare di nuovo ciò di cui si parla.

In inglese semplice: 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?

Come si usa: little of something (Little of what he said was useful.)

Sinonimi: not much

Contrari: much

Espressioni comuni: little is known, little remained, do very little