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, 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

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