Significado de little en inglés
littlelittle1 /ˈlɪtl/ adjective 
Ver todas las traducciones1size [usually before noun] small in sizepequeño en tamaño: 
a little houseuna casita a cake decorated with little flowersun pastel decorado con flores pequeñas She was cutting the meat up into little bits.Estaba cortando la carne en trocitos.little tiny/tiny little spokenoral (=extremely small)(=extremadamente pequeño) a little tiny puppyun cachorro pequeñísimolittle bitty American English spokenoral (=extremely small)(=extremadamente pequeño)a little something informalinformal (=a small present, or a small amount of food)(=un pequeño regalo, o una pequeña cantidad de comida) I’d like to buy him a little something to thank him.Me gustaría comprarle algo pequeño para agradecerle.► see thesaurus at small2something you like or dislike [only before noun] used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etcusado entre un adjetivo y un sustantivo para enfatizar que algo o alguien te gusta o disgusta, aunque no sea importante, impresionante, etc.: It could be a nice little business.Podría ser un negocio pequeño pero bueno. a useful little gadgetun pequeño aparato práctico It was another of her silly little jokes.Era otra de sus tontas bromas. a boring little manun hombrecillo aburridopoor little thing (=used to show sympathy)(=usado para expresar compasión) The poor little thing had hurt its wing.El pobrecito había lastimado su ala.3 a little bit a)a small amount of somethinguna pequeña cantidad de algolittle of With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o’clock.Con un poco de suerte deberíamos terminar para las cinco. I’m going to give you a little bit of advice.Voy a darte un pequeño consejo. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.Déjame contarte un poco sobre mí. b)slightly or to a small degreeligeramente; en pequeña medida: I was a little bit disappointed.Estaba un poco decepcionado.4time/distance [only before noun] short in time or distancebreve en tiempo o corto en distancia: You could have a little sleep in the car.Podrías echar una pequeña siesta en el coche. We walked a little way along this path.Caminamos un trecho corto por este sendero. He arrived a little while ago.Llegó hace un momento.5young little children are younglos niños pequeños son de corta edad: We didn’t have toys like this when I was little.No teníamos juguetes así cuando yo era pequeño.little boy/girl two little boys playing in the streetdos niños pequeños jugando en la callesomebody’s little boy/girl (=someone’s son or daughter who is still a child)(=el hijo o la hija de alguien que todavía es un niño) Mum, I’m 17 – I’m not your little girl any longer.Mamá, tengo 17 años: ya no soy tu niña pequeña.somebody’s little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child)(=un hermano o una hermana menor que todavía es un niño) Her little brother and sister were fighting again.Su hermano y su hermana menores estaban peleando de nuevo.► see thesaurus at young6slight [only before noun] done in a way that is not very noticeablehecho de manera poco notable: a little smileuna leve sonrisa Nicolo gave a little nod of his head.Nicolo asintió levemente con la cabeza.7unimportant [only before noun] a)not importantsin importancia: She gets very angry over little things.Se enfada mucho por cosas sin importancia. There isn’t time to discuss every little detail.No hay tiempo para discutir cada pequeño detalle. b)not important – used when you really think that something is importantsin importancia – usado cuando en realidad se piensa que algo sí es importante: There’s just that little matter of the £5,000 you owe me.Solo está ese pequeño asunto de las £5.000 que me debes.8(just) that little bit better/easier etc better, easier etc by a small amount that will have an important effectmejor, más fácil, etc. en una pequeña medida que tendrá un efecto importante: Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me.Trabajar menos horas hará la vida un poco más fácil para mí.9the little woman old-fashionedanticuado someone’s wife – often used humorously but now considered offensive by many womenla esposa de alguien – usado frecuentemente con humor, pero ahora considerado ofensivo por muchas mujeres → a little bird told me at bird(4)GRAMMARGRAMÁTICAOrder of adjectivesOrden de los adjetivosIf there is more than one adjective, the adjectives are usually used in a fixed order.Si hay más de un adjetivo, los adjetivos se usan generalmente en un orden fijo.You say: · What a pretty little cottage! ✗Don’t say: What a little pretty cottage!Se dice: · What a pretty little cottage! ✗No se dice: What a little pretty cottage!You say: · I bought a little black bag. ✗Don’t say: I bought a black little bag.Se dice: · I bought a little black bag. ✗No se dice: I bought a black little bag.ComparativesComparativosYou can say smaller or smallest, but ‘littler’ and ‘littlest’ are not often used. You say: · Her feet are even smaller than mine. ✗Don’t say: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine.Grammar guide ‒ ADJECTIVESSe puede decir smaller o smallest, pero "littler" y "littlest" no se usan con frecuencia. Se dice: · Her feet are even smaller than mine. ✗No se dice: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine. Guía gramatical ‒ ADJETIVOS
Ver todas las traducciones1size [usually before noun] small in sizepequeño en tamaño: a little houseuna casita a cake decorated with little flowersun pastel decorado con flores pequeñas She was cutting the meat up into little bits.Estaba cortando la carne en trocitos.little tiny/tiny little spokenoral (=extremely small)(=extremadamente pequeño) a little tiny puppyun cachorro pequeñísimolittle bitty American English spokenoral (=extremely small)(=extremadamente pequeño)a little something informalinformal (=a small present, or a small amount of food)(=un pequeño regalo, o una pequeña cantidad de comida) I’d like to buy him a little something to thank him.Me gustaría comprarle algo pequeño para agradecerle.► see thesaurus at small2something you like or dislike [only before noun] used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etcusado entre un adjetivo y un sustantivo para enfatizar que algo o alguien te gusta o disgusta, aunque no sea importante, impresionante, etc.: It could be a nice little business.Podría ser un negocio pequeño pero bueno. a useful little gadgetun pequeño aparato práctico It was another of her silly little jokes.Era otra de sus tontas bromas. a boring little manun hombrecillo aburridopoor little thing (=used to show sympathy)(=usado para expresar compasión) The poor little thing had hurt its wing.El pobrecito había lastimado su ala.3 a little bit a)a small amount of somethinguna pequeña cantidad de algolittle of With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o’clock.Con un poco de suerte deberíamos terminar para las cinco. I’m going to give you a little bit of advice.Voy a darte un pequeño consejo. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.Déjame contarte un poco sobre mí. b)slightly or to a small degreeligeramente; en pequeña medida: I was a little bit disappointed.Estaba un poco decepcionado.4time/distance [only before noun] short in time or distancebreve en tiempo o corto en distancia: You could have a little sleep in the car.Podrías echar una pequeña siesta en el coche. We walked a little way along this path.Caminamos un trecho corto por este sendero. He arrived a little while ago.Llegó hace un momento.5young little children are younglos niños pequeños son de corta edad: We didn’t have toys like this when I was little.No teníamos juguetes así cuando yo era pequeño.little boy/girl two little boys playing in the streetdos niños pequeños jugando en la callesomebody’s little boy/girl (=someone’s son or daughter who is still a child)(=el hijo o la hija de alguien que todavía es un niño) Mum, I’m 17 – I’m not your little girl any longer.Mamá, tengo 17 años: ya no soy tu niña pequeña.somebody’s little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child)(=un hermano o una hermana menor que todavía es un niño) Her little brother and sister were fighting again.Su hermano y su hermana menores estaban peleando de nuevo.► see thesaurus at young6slight [only before noun] done in a way that is not very noticeablehecho de manera poco notable: a little smileuna leve sonrisa Nicolo gave a little nod of his head.Nicolo asintió levemente con la cabeza.7unimportant [only before noun] a)not importantsin importancia: She gets very angry over little things.Se enfada mucho por cosas sin importancia. There isn’t time to discuss every little detail.No hay tiempo para discutir cada pequeño detalle. b)not important – used when you really think that something is importantsin importancia – usado cuando en realidad se piensa que algo sí es importante: There’s just that little matter of the £5,000 you owe me.Solo está ese pequeño asunto de las £5.000 que me debes.8(just) that little bit better/easier etc better, easier etc by a small amount that will have an important effectmejor, más fácil, etc. en una pequeña medida que tendrá un efecto importante: Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me.Trabajar menos horas hará la vida un poco más fácil para mí.9the little woman old-fashionedanticuado someone’s wife – often used humorously but now considered offensive by many womenla esposa de alguien – usado frecuentemente con humor, pero ahora considerado ofensivo por muchas mujeres → a little bird told me at bird(4)GRAMMARGRAMÁTICAOrder of adjectivesOrden de los adjetivosIf there is more than one adjective, the adjectives are usually used in a fixed order.Si hay más de un adjetivo, los adjetivos se usan generalmente en un orden fijo.You say: · What a pretty little cottage! ✗Don’t say: What a little pretty cottage!Se dice: · What a pretty little cottage! ✗No se dice: What a little pretty cottage!You say: · I bought a little black bag. ✗Don’t say: I bought a black little bag.Se dice: · I bought a little black bag. ✗No se dice: I bought a black little bag.ComparativesComparativosYou can say smaller or smallest, but ‘littler’ and ‘littlest’ are not often used. You say: · Her feet are even smaller than mine. ✗Don’t say: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine.Grammar guide ‒ ADJECTIVESSe puede decir smaller o smallest, pero "littler" y "littlest" no se usan con frecuencia. Se dice: · Her feet are even smaller than mine. ✗No se dice: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine. Guía gramatical ‒ ADJETIVOSlittlelittle2 determiner, pronoun 1only a small amount or hardly any of somethingsolo una pequeña cantidad o casi nada de algo: There’s little doubt in my mind that he’s guilty.Tengo muy pocas dudas de que es culpable. I paid little attention to what the others were saying.Presté poca atención a lo que decían los demás. Little is known about the causes of the problem.Se sabe poco sobre las causas del problema. Changes in the law have done little to improve the situation.Los cambios en la ley han hecho poco por mejorar la situación.little of Little of their wealth now remains.Poco de su riqueza queda ahora. There’s very little money left.Queda muy poco dinero. Many of the students speak little or no English.Muchos de los estudiantes hablan poco o nada de inglés. He knew little or nothing (=almost nothing) about fixing cars.Sabía poco o nada (=casi nada) sobre arreglar coches. My lawyer advised me to say as little as possible.Mi abogado me aconsejó decir lo menos posible. He did precious little (=very little) to help.Hizo muy poca cosa (=muy poco) para ayudar. The laboratory tests are of little real value.Las pruebas de laboratorio tienen poco valor real.2a little a small amountuna pequeña cantidad: Fortunately I had a little time to spare.Afortunadamente tenía un poco de tiempo de sobra. Susan speaks a little French.Susan habla un poco de francés. A little over half the class can swim.Un poco más de la mitad de la clase sabe nadar. He walked on a little (=a short distance) and then turned back.Caminó un poco más (=una distancia corta) y luego se dio la vuelta.a little more/less Would you like a little more milk in your coffee?¿Le gustaría un poco más de leche en su café?little of The city is regaining a little of its former splendour.La ciudad está recuperando un poco de su antiguo esplendor.3as little as £5/3 months/10 feet etc used to emphasize how surprisingly small an amount isusado para enfatizar lo sorprendentemente pequeño que es una cantidad: Prices for his paintings start from as little as £100.Los precios de sus cuadros empiezan desde tan solo £100. The weather can change completely in as little as half an hour.El tiempo puede cambiar por completo en tan solo media hora.4what little (also the little (that)) used to emphasize how small an amount there is, how small an amount is possible etcusado para enfatizar lo pequeña que es una cantidad, lo pequeña que puede ser una cantidad posible, etc.: We did what little we could to help.Hicimos lo poco que pudimos para ayudar. I handed over what little money I had left.Entregué el poco dinero que me quedaba.5a little (of something) goes a long way spokenoral used to say that only a small amount of something is needed or has a great effectusado para decir que solo se necesita una pequeña cantidad de algo o que tiene un gran efecto: A little kindness goes a long way.Un poco de amabilidad puede llegar muy lejos.GRAMMAR: ComparisonGRAMÁTICA: Comparacióna little• A little means ‘some, but not a lot’.• A little significa 'algo, pero no mucho'.• You use a little before uncountable nouns: · We still have a little time left.• Se usa a little antes de sustantivos incontables: · We still have a little time left.• You can say a little of the: · A little of the milk got spilled. ✗Don’t say: A little of milk got spilled.• Se puede decir a little of the: · A little of the milk got spilled. ✗No se dice: A little of milk got spilled.little• Little is mainly used in more formal English. It means ‘not much’ and emphasizes how small an amount is.• Little se usa principalmente en un inglés más formal. Significa 'no mucho' y enfatiza lo pequeña que es una cantidad.• You use little before uncountable nouns: · There is little chance of success.• Se usa little antes de sustantivos incontables: · There is little chance of success.• You can say very little: · He has very little money.• Se puede decir very little: · He has very little money.• In everyday English, people usually say not much instead: · There is not much chance of success.· He does not have much money.• En el inglés cotidiano, la gente suele decir not much en su lugar: · There is not much chance of success. · He does not have much money.
1only a small amount or hardly any of somethingsolo una pequeña cantidad o casi nada de algo: There’s little doubt in my mind that he’s guilty.Tengo muy pocas dudas de que es culpable. I paid little attention to what the others were saying.Presté poca atención a lo que decían los demás. Little is known about the causes of the problem.Se sabe poco sobre las causas del problema. Changes in the law have done little to improve the situation.Los cambios en la ley han hecho poco por mejorar la situación.little of Little of their wealth now remains.Poco de su riqueza queda ahora. There’s very little money left.Queda muy poco dinero. Many of the students speak little or no English.Muchos de los estudiantes hablan poco o nada de inglés. He knew little or nothing (=almost nothing) about fixing cars.Sabía poco o nada (=casi nada) sobre arreglar coches. My lawyer advised me to say as little as possible.Mi abogado me aconsejó decir lo menos posible. He did precious little (=very little) to help.Hizo muy poca cosa (=muy poco) para ayudar. The laboratory tests are of little real value.Las pruebas de laboratorio tienen poco valor real.2a little a small amountuna pequeña cantidad: Fortunately I had a little time to spare.Afortunadamente tenía un poco de tiempo de sobra. Susan speaks a little French.Susan habla un poco de francés. A little over half the class can swim.Un poco más de la mitad de la clase sabe nadar. He walked on a little (=a short distance) and then turned back.Caminó un poco más (=una distancia corta) y luego se dio la vuelta.a little more/less Would you like a little more milk in your coffee?¿Le gustaría un poco más de leche en su café?little of The city is regaining a little of its former splendour.La ciudad está recuperando un poco de su antiguo esplendor.3as little as £5/3 months/10 feet etc used to emphasize how surprisingly small an amount isusado para enfatizar lo sorprendentemente pequeño que es una cantidad: Prices for his paintings start from as little as £100.Los precios de sus cuadros empiezan desde tan solo £100. The weather can change completely in as little as half an hour.El tiempo puede cambiar por completo en tan solo media hora.4what little (also the little (that)) used to emphasize how small an amount there is, how small an amount is possible etcusado para enfatizar lo pequeña que es una cantidad, lo pequeña que puede ser una cantidad posible, etc.: We did what little we could to help.Hicimos lo poco que pudimos para ayudar. I handed over what little money I had left.Entregué el poco dinero que me quedaba.5a little (of something) goes a long way spokenoral used to say that only a small amount of something is needed or has a great effectusado para decir que solo se necesita una pequeña cantidad de algo o que tiene un gran efecto: A little kindness goes a long way.Un poco de amabilidad puede llegar muy lejos.GRAMMAR: ComparisonGRAMÁTICA: Comparacióna little• A little means ‘some, but not a lot’.• A little significa 'algo, pero no mucho'.• You use a little before uncountable nouns: · We still have a little time left.• Se usa a little antes de sustantivos incontables: · We still have a little time left.• You can say a little of the: · A little of the milk got spilled. ✗Don’t say: A little of milk got spilled.• Se puede decir a little of the: · A little of the milk got spilled. ✗No se dice: A little of milk got spilled.little• Little is mainly used in more formal English. It means ‘not much’ and emphasizes how small an amount is.• Little se usa principalmente en un inglés más formal. Significa 'no mucho' y enfatiza lo pequeña que es una cantidad.• You use little before uncountable nouns: · There is little chance of success.• Se usa little antes de sustantivos incontables: · There is little chance of success.• You can say very little: · He has very little money.• Se puede decir very little: · He has very little money.• In everyday English, people usually say not much instead: · There is not much chance of success.· He does not have much money.• En el inglés cotidiano, la gente suele decir not much en su lugar: · There is not much chance of success. · He does not have much money.littlelittle3 adverb 1a little slightly or to a small degreeligeramente; en pequeña medida SYN a bit: She trembled a little as she spoke.Ella tembló un poco mientras hablaba. He was a little surprised at her request.Se sorprendió un poco ante su petición.a little more/better/further etc We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what happens.Tendremos que esperar un poco más para ver qué pasa.2not much or only slightlyno mucho o solo ligeramente: The town has changed little over the years.La ciudad ha cambiado poco a lo largo de los años. The situation has improved very little.La situación ha mejorado muy poco.little known/understood etc (=not known about by many people)(=poco conocido por mucha gente) a little known corner of the worldun rincón del mundo poco conocidolittle more/better etc (than something) His voice was little more than a whisper.Su voz era poco más que un susurro.3little did somebody know/realize/think etc used to say that someone did not know or think that something would happen or was trueusado para decir que alguien no sabía o no pensaba que algo iba a ocurrir o era verdad: Little did I know that the course of my life was about to change.Poco sabía yo que el curso de mi vida estaba a punto de cambiar.4little by little graduallygradualmente: Little by little he became accepted by the family.Poco a poco fue aceptado por la familia.5more than a little/not a little literaryliterario extremelyextremadamente: Graham was more than a little frightened by what he had seen.Graham estaba más que un poco asustado por lo que había visto.GRAMMAR: Word orderGRAMÁTICA: Orden de palabrasYou use a little before an adjective: · I was a little worried about her. ✗Don’t say: I was worried a little about her.Se usa a little antes de un adjetivo: · I was a little worried about her. ✗No se dice: I was worried a little about her.
1a little slightly or to a small degreeligeramente; en pequeña medida SYN a bit: She trembled a little as she spoke.Ella tembló un poco mientras hablaba. He was a little surprised at her request.Se sorprendió un poco ante su petición.a little more/better/further etc We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what happens.Tendremos que esperar un poco más para ver qué pasa.2not much or only slightlyno mucho o solo ligeramente: The town has changed little over the years.La ciudad ha cambiado poco a lo largo de los años. The situation has improved very little.La situación ha mejorado muy poco.little known/understood etc (=not known about by many people)(=poco conocido por mucha gente) a little known corner of the worldun rincón del mundo poco conocidolittle more/better etc (than something) His voice was little more than a whisper.Su voz era poco más que un susurro.3little did somebody know/realize/think etc used to say that someone did not know or think that something would happen or was trueusado para decir que alguien no sabía o no pensaba que algo iba a ocurrir o era verdad: Little did I know that the course of my life was about to change.Poco sabía yo que el curso de mi vida estaba a punto de cambiar.4little by little graduallygradualmente: Little by little he became accepted by the family.Poco a poco fue aceptado por la familia.5more than a little/not a little literaryliterario extremelyextremadamente: Graham was more than a little frightened by what he had seen.Graham estaba más que un poco asustado por lo que había visto.GRAMMAR: Word orderGRAMÁTICA: Orden de palabrasYou use a little before an adjective: · I was a little worried about her. ✗Don’t say: I was worried a little about her.Se usa a little antes de un adjetivo: · I was a little worried about her. ✗No se dice: I was worried a little about her.