vokabularA1
Mengdeord: mange, mye, få, lite og litt
[Quantifiers: mange, mye, få, lite, and litt]Quantifiers depend on whether a noun is countable plural (mange bøker, få venner) or uncountable mass (mye kaffe, lite tid). Distinguish between 'lite' (scarcely any) and 'litt' (a positive small amount).
1. Countable vs. Uncountable Matrix
Degree
Mye / Stor mengde (+)(Large amount (+))
Countable Plural (with translation)
mange (mange biler, mange bøker)(mange (many cars, many books))
Uncountable Mass (with translation)
mye (mye melk, mye tid, mye penger)(mye (much milk, much time, much money))
Degree
Lite / Negativ mangel (-)(Scant / Insufficient (-))
Countable Plural (with translation)
få (få venner, få sjanser)(få (few friends, few chances))
Uncountable Mass (with translation)
lite (lite sukker, lite tid)(lite (little sugar, little time))
Degree
En viss mengde (positiv)(A small positive amount)
Countable Plural (with translation)
noen få (noen få personer)(noen få (a few people))
Uncountable Mass (with translation)
litt (litt kaffe, litt hjelp)(litt (a little coffee, a little help))
| Degree | Countable Plural (with translation) | Uncountable Mass (with translation) |
|---|---|---|
Mye / Stor mengde (+)Large amount (+) | mange (mange biler, mange bøker)mange (many cars, many books) | mye (mye melk, mye tid, mye penger)mye (much milk, much time, much money) |
Lite / Negativ mangel (-)Scant / Insufficient (-) | få (få venner, få sjanser)få (few friends, few chances) | lite (lite sukker, lite tid)lite (little sugar, little time) |
En viss mengde (positiv)A small positive amount | noen få (noen få personer)noen få (a few people) | litt (litt kaffe, litt hjelp)litt (a little coffee, a little help) |
2. Key Contrast: 'lite' vs. 'litt'
Examples:
Jeg har lite penger. (negativt: jeg har nesten ingenting, jeg har et problem)I have little money. (negative: almost none, insufficient).
Jeg har litt penger. (positivt: jeg har litt, så jeg kan kjøpe kaffe)I have a little money. (positive: enough for a coffee).
Note: 'mye' is also used to modify comparative adjectives: 'Dette huset er mye finere' (much nicer).