Compare these:
I have a few words to say.
Tengo algunas cosas que decir.
I have few words to say.
Tengo muy poco que decir.
The only difference in English is the letter “a”…
…but the meaning is completely different!
Here’s why this can be confusing for Spanish speakers:
In Spanish, you naturally use different words:
algunas = a few
muy poco = few
In English, we don’t change the main words – we simply lose the tiny word “a”.
That’s why such a small change can completely change the meaning!
Easy way to remember:
a few = enough
few = not enough
English doesn’t always make things easy… but once you notice these little patterns, it starts to make a lot more sense!