Quelque/quelques vs Un peu de/peu de = A couple/a few vs a bit of/few (French Indefinite Adjectives)

Take the fastest path to fluent French

In French, it can be tricky to know when to use the indefinite adjectives quelque/quelques and un peu de/peu de.

Learn when to use quelque/quelques and un peu de/peu de in French

quelque (singular) 

You will generally only come across the singular form in a very few fixed expressions, such as quelqu'un (someone), quelque part (somewhere), quelque temps (some time / a while).

Je la connais depuis quelque temps.I've known her for some time.

quelques (plural)

Used with countable things it means a couple of, some, a few.

Il a quelques livres à lire.He has a few books to read.

J'ai acheté quelques bougies pour décorer ma chambre.I bought a couple of candles to decorate my bedroom.

Here also see Expressing quantities in French with quelques/plusieurs/de nombreux = A few/several/many

[un] peu de 

With uncountable quantities, you can use:

un peu de (singular) to express a little, a bit of
or
peu de (singular) to express little, not much, few

J'ai un peu de lait.I have a little (bit of) milk.

Tu t'es amusé hier? - Un peu.Did you enjoy yourself yesterday? A bit.

Nous avons peu d'argent.We have little money.  
We don't have much money.

With countable quantities, you can only use:

peu de (plural) to express not many, few

Elle a peu d'amis.She has few friends.

Il y a peu d'arbres dans notre quartier.There are not many trees in our neighbourhood.

 

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Elle a peu d'amis.She has few friends.
J'ai quelques amis qui vont me rendre visite. I have some friends who are going to visit me.
Il a quelques livres à lire.He has a few books to read.
Tu t'es amusé hier? - Un peu.Did you enjoy yourself yesterday? A bit.
Je la connais depuis quelque temps.I've known her for some time.
J'ai acheté quelques bougies pour décorer ma chambre.I bought a couple of candles to decorate my bedroom.
J'ai un peu de lait.I have a little (bit of) milk.
Nous avons peu d'argent.We have little money.  
We don't have much money.
Il y a peu d'arbres dans notre quartier.There are not many trees in our neighbourhood.
Clever stuff happening!