Using poco and po' to express small amounts
Poco means “(a) little” or “few” and is the opposite of molto/tanto (a lot, much, many).
Ho poco zucchero in dispensa.
I have little sugar in the pantry / I don't have much sugar in the pantry.
Mi rimane poco tempo per prepararmi.
I have little time left to prepare.
When it comes before a noun, it has to agree with the latter in both gender and number.
Ho poche amiche italiane.
I don't have many (female) Italian friends.
C'è poca acqua nella bottiglia.
There's little water in the bottle.
When it replaces a noun, it has to agree with the noun it replaces in both gender and number.
Eravamo poche alla festa. (= poche persone)
There were few of us at the party. (= few people)
C'era poco da mangiare. (= poco cibo)
There was little to eat. (= little food)
When it comes after a verb, it always takes the masculine singular form poco.
Leggo poco alla sera.
I read little in the evenings / I don't read much in the evenings.
Hai bevuto poco in palestra.
You didn't drink much at the gym.
When it follows un (a) or quel (what) it generally becomes un/quel po', meaning an unspecified small amount. It is also often followed by the preposition di.
Rimane un po' di insalata.
There's a little salad left.
Ha perso quel po' di soldi che aveva.
She lost what little money she had.
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