FEWER - Translation from English into French | PONS

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Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

English

French

I. fewer [Brit ˈfjuːə, Am ˈfjuər] comparative of few ADJ

fewer: moins de

there are fewer trains on Sundays: il y a moins de trains le dimanche

there were fewer people/cases than last time: il y avait moins de monde/cas que la dernière fois

fewer and fewer pupils: de moins en moins d'élèves

there are fewer and fewer opportunities for doing this kind of thing: les occasions de faire ce genre de chose se font de plus en plus rares

II. fewer [Brit ˈfjuːə, Am ˈfjuər] comparative of few PRON

fewer: moins

fewer than 50 people: moins de 50 personnes

no fewer than: pas moins de

I have seen fewer recently: j'en ai moins vu récemment

they were fewer than before: ils étaient moins nombreux qu'avant

See also

I. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] ADJ When few is used as an adjective to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity (few houses, few shops, few people) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de magasins, peu de gens. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see I. 1. in the entry.
When few is used as an adjective in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I. 2. in the entry.
When a few is used as an adjective(a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see II. in the entry.
For translations of few used as a pronoun (few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see II. and III. in the entry.
For translations of the few used as a noun (the few who voted for him) see IV. in the entry.

1. few (not many):

few: peu de

few visitors/letters: peu de visiteurs/lettres

few people came to the meeting: peu de gens sont venus à la réunion

very few houses/families: très peu de maisons/familles

there are very few opportunities for graduates: il y a très peu de débouchés pour les diplômés

one of my few pleasures: un de mes rares plaisirs

on the few occasions that she has visited this country: les rares fois où elle a visité ce pays

their needs are few: ils ont peu de besoins

their demands are few: ils sont peu exigeants, ils revendiquent peu de chose

to be few in number: être peu nombreux

there are too few women in this profession: il y a trop peu de femmes dans ce métier

with few exceptions: à quelques exceptions près

a man of few words (gen): un homme peu loquace

a man of few words (approvingly): un homme qui ne se perd pas en paroles inutiles

2. few (some, several):

every few days: tous les deux ou trois jours

over the next few days/weeks (in past): dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi

over the next few days/weeks (in future): dans les jours/semaines à venir

these past few days: ces derniers jours

the first few weeks: les premières semaines

the few books she possessed: les quelques livres qu'elle possédait

II. a few ADJ

a few: quelques

a few people/houses: quelques personnes/maisons

I would like a few more: j'en voudrais quelques-uns (or quelques-unes) de plus

quite a few people/houses: pas mal de gens/maisons inf

quite a few people/houses: un bon nombre de gens/maisons

we've lived here for a good few years: nous vivons ici depuis un bon nombre d'années

a few weeks earlier: quelques semaines plus tôt

in a few minutes: dans quelques minutes

in a few more months: dans quelques mois

a few more times: quelques fois de plus

III. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] PRON

1. few (not many):

few: peu

few of us succeeded: peu d'entre nous ont réussi

few of them could swim: ils n'étaient pas nombreux à savoir nager

few of them survived: peu d'entre eux ont survécu, il y a eu peu de survivants

there are so few of them that … (objects): il y en a tellement peu que …

there are so few of them that … (people): ils sont tellement peu nombreux que …

there are four too few: il en manque quatre

as few as four people turned up: quatre personnes seulement sont venues

few can deny that …: il y a peu de gens qui nieraient que …

2. few (some):

a few of the soldiers/countries: quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays

I only need a few: il ne m'en faut que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

a few of us: un certain nombre d'entre nous

there were only a few of them (objects): il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

there were only a few of them (people): ils étaient peu nombreux

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany: un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne

a good few of the houses were damaged: un bon nombre des maisons ont été endommagées

there are only a very few left (objects): il n'en reste que très peu

there are only a very few left (people): il ne reste que quelques personnes

a few wanted to go on strike: quelques-uns voulaient faire la grève

IV. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] N

the few who voted for him: les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui

great wealth in the hands of the few: une grande richesse entre les mains d'une minorité

music that appeals only to the few: une musique qui ne s'adresse qu'à l'élite

V. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju]

to be few and far between: être rarissimes

such people/opportunities are few and far between: de telles personnes/occasions sont rarissimes

villages in this area are few and far between: il y a très peu de villages dans cette région

to have had a few (too many) inf: avoir bu quelques verres de trop, être bien parti inf

I. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] ADJ When few is used as an adjective to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity (few houses, few shops, few people) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de magasins, peu de gens. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see I. 1. in the entry.
When few is used as an adjective in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I. 2. in the entry.
When a few is used as an adjective(a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see II. in the entry.
For translations of few used as a pronoun (few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see II. and III. in the entry.
For translations of the few used as a noun (the few who voted for him) see IV. in the entry.

1. few (not many):

few: peu de

few visitors/letters: peu de visiteurs/lettres

few people came to the meeting: peu de gens sont venus à la réunion

very few houses/families: très peu de maisons/familles

there are very few opportunities for graduates: il y a très peu de débouchés pour les diplômés

one of my few pleasures: un de mes rares plaisirs

on the few occasions that she has visited this country: les rares fois où elle a visité ce pays

their needs are few: ils ont peu de besoins

their demands are few: ils sont peu exigeants, ils revendiquent peu de chose

to be few in number: être peu nombreux

there are too few women in this profession: il y a trop peu de femmes dans ce métier

with few exceptions: à quelques exceptions près

a man of few words (gen): un homme peu loquace

a man of few words (approvingly): un homme qui ne se perd pas en paroles inutiles

2. few (some, several):

every few days: tous les deux ou trois jours

over the next few days/weeks (in past): dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi

over the next few days/weeks (in future): dans les jours/semaines à venir

these past few days: ces derniers jours

the first few weeks: les premières semaines

the few books she possessed: les quelques livres qu'elle possédait

II. a few ADJ

a few: quelques

a few people/houses: quelques personnes/maisons

I would like a few more: j'en voudrais quelques-uns (or quelques-unes) de plus

quite a few people/houses: pas mal de gens/maisons inf

quite a few people/houses: un bon nombre de gens/maisons

we've lived here for a good few years: nous vivons ici depuis un bon nombre d'années

a few weeks earlier: quelques semaines plus tôt

in a few minutes: dans quelques minutes

in a few more months: dans quelques mois

a few more times: quelques fois de plus

III. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] PRON

1. few (not many):

few: peu

few of us succeeded: peu d'entre nous ont réussi

few of them could swim: ils n'étaient pas nombreux à savoir nager

few of them survived: peu d'entre eux ont survécu, il y a eu peu de survivants

there are so few of them that … (objects): il y en a tellement peu que …

there are so few of them that … (people): ils sont tellement peu nombreux que …

there are four too few: il en manque quatre

as few as four people turned up: quatre personnes seulement sont venues

few can deny that …: il y a peu de gens qui nieraient que …

2. few (some):

a few of the soldiers/countries: quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays

I only need a few: il ne m'en faut que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

a few of us: un certain nombre d'entre nous

there were only a few of them (objects): il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

there were only a few of them (people): ils étaient peu nombreux

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany: un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne

a good few of the houses were damaged: un bon nombre des maisons ont été endommagées

there are only a very few left (objects): il n'en reste que très peu

there are only a very few left (people): il ne reste que quelques personnes

a few wanted to go on strike: quelques-uns voulaient faire la grève

IV. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju] N

the few who voted for him: les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui

great wealth in the hands of the few: une grande richesse entre les mains d'une minorité

music that appeals only to the few: une musique qui ne s'adresse qu'à l'élite

V. few <comp fewer, superl fewest> [Brit fjuː, Am fju]

to be few and far between: être rarissimes

such people/opportunities are few and far between: de telles personnes/occasions sont rarissimes

villages in this area are few and far between: il y a très peu de villages dans cette région

to have had a few (too many) inf: avoir bu quelques verres de trop, être bien parti inf

a few well-chosen words: quelques mots bien choisis

a few errors have slipped through: il y a encore quelques erreurs

the chosen few: les privilégiés

I was not one of the chosen few iron: je ne faisais pas partie des heureux élus

French

English

quelques passants: a few passers-by

quelques arpents de terre: a few acres of land

à quelques encablures de là: a few hundred yards away

être en nombre restreint: to be few in number

nous étions en comité restreint: there were just a few of us

cela a été décidé en comité restreint: it was decided by just a few people

quelques-uns: some, a few

la plupart des tableaux ont brûlé mais ils ont réussi à en sauver quelques-uns: most of the paintings were burned but they managed to save some ou a few

parmi tous les soldats, seuls quelques-uns ont survécu: of all the soldiers, only a few survived

l'artiste présentera quelques-unes de ses œuvres: the artist will present some ou a few of his/her works

in the PONS Dictionary

English

French

fewer [ˈfju:əʳ, Am -ɚ] ADJ PRON

fewer: moins de

no fewer than: pas moins que

I. few <fewer, fewest> [fju:] ADJ

few: peu de

there are few things that please him: il y a peu de choses qui lui font plaisir

one of the few friends: l'un des rares amis

there are two too few: il en manque deux

not fewer than 100 people: pas moins de 100 personnes

to be few and far between: être rare

II. few [fju:] PRON

few: peu

few of us: peu d'entre nous

III. few [fju:] N

a few: quelques un(e)s

a few of us: certains d'entre nous

I'd like a few more: j'en voudrais quelques-uns de plus

quite a few people: pas mal de gens

they left quite a few boxes: ils ont laissé pas mal de boîtes

the few: la minorité

the happy few: les heureux élus

the few who have the book: les rares à avoir le livre

to tell sb a few home truths: dire à qn ses quatre vérités

with a few notable exceptions: à part quelques exceptions

to iron out a few kinks: résoudre quelques problèmes

there are a few shops nearby: il y a quelques magasins tout près d'ici

to hoist a few Am: se descendre quelques verres

French

English

rare: few

ses rares amis: her few friends

quelque: a few

les quelques fois où ...: the few times that ...

quelques-uns (-unes): a few

in the PONS Dictionary

English

French

fewer [ˈfju·ər] ADJ PRON

fewer: moins de

no fewer than: pas moins que

I. few <fewer, fewest> [fju] ADJ

few: peu de

there are few things that please him: il y a peu de choses qui lui font plaisir

one of the few friends: l'un des rares amis

there are two too few: il en manque deux

not fewer than 100 people: pas moins de 100 personnes

to be few and far between: être rare

II. few [fju] PRON

few: peu

few of us: peu d'entre nous

III. few [fju] N

a few: quelques un(e)s

a few of us: certains d'entre nous

I'd like a few more: j'en voudrais quelques-uns de plus

quite a few people: pas mal de gens

they left quite a few boxes: ils ont laissé pas mal de boîtes

the few: la minorité

the happy few: les heureux élus mpl

the few who have the book: les rares personnes fpl à avoir le livre

there were a few defections from North Korea: peu de Nord-Coréens sont passés au Sud

to tell sb a few home truths: dire ses quatre vérités à qn

to hoist a few: s'envoyer quelques verres

there are a few shops nearby: il y a quelques magasins tout près d'ici

with a few notable exceptions: à part quelques exceptions

French

English

rare: few

ses rares amis: her few friends

quelque: a few

les quelques fois où ...: the few times that ...

être avare de paroles: to be a person of few words

Examples from the PONS Dictionary (editorially verified)

to bring out a few words: prononcer quelques mots

there are few things that please him: il y a peu de choses qui lui font plaisir

not fewer than 100 people: pas moins de 100 personnes

no fewer than: pas moins que

il n'est pas prodigue de paroles: to be a man of few words

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