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I can’t understand these words. “ he has got little money” and “ he has got VERY LITTLE money”; “ I have got few friends” and “I have got VERY FEW friends”.

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  • Have you done any research?
    – BillJ
    Commented Jul 15, 2020 at 18:10
  • 2
    A little = a small amount (seen in a positive way). [Very] little = only a small amount (seen in a negative way). Few works similarly.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jul 15, 2020 at 18:14
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    Does this answer your question? Difference between “little”, “few”, “a little” and “a few”
    – ColleenV
    Commented Jul 15, 2020 at 18:23
  • Following from what Kate says, “He has got a little money” means that he has enough money for what is being discussed. But the other two mean that he probably does not have enough money.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Jul 15, 2020 at 18:37
  • I have very little patience even when I try to have a little patience. And I do not believe you. Especially, when someone tells me something is British English when it isn't. None of your questions are "British English". Mind how you go, mate. [That is BrE, by the way].
    – Lambie
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 22:58

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Very X is an intensifier; X is usually an adjective or adverb. It means the meaning of X is stronger than normal, expected, or compared to others. There is no exact or fixed level of intensity; it's relative to common, assumed, or previously communicated information or experiences between speaker/writer and reader/listener.

Very can modify itself, so you can say very very little, or very very very little, for example.

Very is also a word that's frequently thrown into conversation for exaggeration purposes in order to make it more interesting or attention-grabbing, and can be overused, particularly by excitable or nervous people.

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  • Why are you not saying that this is not BrE? This posters keeps posting under the BrE title, and he has not been right,once. Lemme tell'ya, he prolly ain't got no friends. [smile]
    – Lambie
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 23:04
  • Is this not true for BrE as well? If not let me know and I'll delete if totally inapplicable.
    – LawrenceC
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 23:19

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