el habla común

'abla

1. adv. - por poco 2. (f. - poca)

pron.

little, few

3. (f. - poca)

adj.

little, few, not much

* * *

1. ADJ

1) [en singular] little, not much

tenemos poco tiempo — we have little time, we don't have much time

hay muy poco queso — there's very little cheese, there's hardly any cheese

de poco interés — of little interest

con poco respeto — with little respect, with scant respect

el provecho es poco — the gain is small, there isn't much to gain

• poca cosa, no te preocupes por tan poca cosa — don't worry about such a little thing

poca cosa se podría haber hecho — there wasn't much we could have done

comemos, jugamos a cartas, leemos y poca cosa más — we eat, play cards, read and do little else o and that's about it

es poca cosa — (=no mucho) it's not much; (=no importante) it's nothing much

somos tan poca cosa — we're so insignificant

es muy guapa pero poca cosa — she's very pretty, but there isn't much to her

• y por si fuera poco — and as if that weren't enough, and to cap it all

2) [en plural] few, not many

pocos niños saben que... — few o not many children know that...

tiene pocos amigos — he has few friends, he hasn't got many friends

pocos días después — a few days later

compré unos pocos libros — I bought a few books

me quedan pocas probabilidades — I don't have much chance

todas las medidas son pocas — no measure will be enough

2. PRON

1) [en singular]

a) (=poca cosa)

la reforma servirá para poco — the reform won't do much good o won't be much use

una hora da para poco — you can't get much done in an hour

con lo poco que me quedaba — with what little I had left

ya sabes lo poco que me interesa — you know how little it interests me

b)

• un poco — a bit, a little

-¿tienes frío? -un poco — "are you cold?" - "a bit o a little"

he bebido un poco, pero no estoy borracho — I've had a bit to drink, but I'm not drunk

voy a dormir un poco — I am going to have a little sleep

le conocía un poco — I knew him a bit o slightly

necesito descansar un poco — I need to rest for a while

espera un poco — wait a minute o moment

estoy un poco triste — I am rather o a little sad

es un poco lo que yo comentaba — that's more or less what I was saying

• un poco como, es un poco como su padre — he's rather o a bit like his father

lo hice un poco como protesta — I did it partly as a protest

• un poco de, un poco de dinero — a little money

dame un poco de vino — can I have some wine?

¡un poco de silencio! — let's have some quiet here!

c) [referido a tiempo] not long

tardaron poco en hacerlo — it didn't take them long to do it, they didn't take long to do it

lleva poco trabajando aquí — he hasn't been working here long

• a poco de — shortly after

a poco de haberlo firmado — shortly after signing it

• cada poco — every so often

• dentro de poco — shortly, soon

• poco después — shortly after

• hace poco — not long ago

fuimos a verla hace poco — we visited her not long ago, we visited her quite recently

tu hermana ha llamado hace poco — your sister called a short while ago

la conozco desde hace poco — I haven't known her long, I've only known her for a short while

hasta hace poco — until recently

2) [en plural] few

pocos son los que... — there are few who...

ya somos pocos los que nos sentimos así — there are now very few of us who feel this way

pocos de entre ellos — few of them

como hay pocos —

es tonto como hay pocos — he's as stupid as they come

3. ADV

1) [con verbos] not much, little

cuesta poco — it doesn't cost much, it costs very little

habla poco — he doesn't say much

ahora trabaja poco — he doesn't work much now

vamos poco a Madrid — we don't go to Madrid much, we hardly ever go to Madrid

lo estiman poco — they hardly value it at all, they value it very little

2) [con adjetivos: se traduce a menudo por medio de un prefijo]

poco dispuesto a ayudar — disinclined to help

poco amable — unkind

poco probable — unlikely

poco inteligente — unintelligent, not very intelligent

sus libros son poco conocidos aquí — his books are not very well known here

3) [otras locuciones]

poco a poco — little by little

¡poco a poco! — steady on!, easy does it!

a poco Méx —

*

¿a poco? — never!, you don't say!

¡a poco no! — not much! *

¿a poco no? — (well) isn't it?

¿a poco crees que...? — do you really imagine that...?

• de a poco — LAm gradually

• tener en poco, tiene en poco a su jefe — she doesn't think much of her boss

tiene la vida en poco — he doesn't value his life

• poco más o menos — more or less

• por poco — almost, nearly

por poco me ahogo — I almost o nearly drowned

• a poco que, a poco que pueda — if at all possible

a poco que corras, lo alcanzas — if you run now you'll catch it

* * *

I

adverbio

es muy poco agradecido — he is very ungrateful

un autor muy poco conocido — a very little-known author

me resultó poco interesante — I didn't find it very interesting

habla poco — he doesn't say much o a lot

viene muy poco por aquí — he hardly ever comes around

... con lo poco que le gusta el arroz —... and he doesn't even like rice; para locs ver poco III 4)

II

- ca adjetivo ( con sustantivos no numerables) little; ( en plural) few

muy poco vino — very little wine

muy pocos niños — very few children

qué poco sentido común tienes! — you don't have much common sense, do you?

tengo muy poca ropa — I have very few clothes

éramos demasiado pocos — there were too few of us

fue asombroso, todo lo que te pueda decir es poco — it was amazing, I can't (even) begin to tell you

todo le parece poco — she is never satisfied

III

- ca pronombre

1) (poca cantidad, poca cosa)

le serví sopa pero comió poca — I gave her some soup but she didn't eat much

por poco que gane... — no matter how little o however little she earns...

se conforma con poco — he's easily satisfied

poco faltó para que me pegara — he nearly hit me

lo poco que gana se lo gasta en vino — he spends the little o what little he earns on wine

compra más lentejas, nos quedan muy pocas — buy some more lentils, we've hardly any left

es un profesor como pocos — there aren't many teachers like him

pocos pueden permitirse ese lujo — not many people can afford to do that

2) poco ( refiriéndose a tiempo)

lo vi hace poco — I saw him recently o not long ago

hace muy poco que lo conoce — she hasn't known him for very long

tardó poco en hacerlo — it didn't take him long to do it

falta poco para las navidades — it's not long till Christmas

a poco de venir él — soon o shortly after he came

dentro de poco — soon

poco antes de que... — a short while o shortly before...

3) un poco

a) ( refiriéndose a cantidades) a little; ( refiriéndose a tiempo) a while

espera un poquito — wait a little while

todavía le duele un poco — it still hurts him a little o a bit

es un poco lo que está pasando en Japón — it's rather like what's happening in Japan

un poco porque me dio lástima — partly because I felt sorry for him

b)

un poco de: un poco de pimienta/vino a little (bit of) pepper/wine; come un poco de jamón — have a bit of ham

c)

un poco + adj/adv: un poco caro/tarde — a bit o a little expensive/late

4) (en locs)

a poco — (Méx)

¿a poco no lees los periódicos? — don't you read the newspapers?

a poco no está fabuloso Acapulco! — isn't Acapulco just fantastic!

a poco ganaron! — don't tell me they won!

de a poco — (AmL) gradually

agrégale la leche de a poquito — add the milk gradually o a little at a time

de a poquito se lo fue comiendo — little by little she ate it all up

en poco: en poco estuvo que no viniéramos we almost didn't come; tienen en poco la vida ajena they set little value on other people's lives; me tienes bien en poco si crees que... you can't think very highly o much of me if you think...; poco a poco gradually; poco más o menos approximately, roughly; poco menos que nearly; poco menos que la mata (fam) he almost killed her; poco menos que los echan a patadas (fam) they practically kicked them out; por poco — nearly

* * *

= little [less -comp., least -sup.], low [lower -comp., lowest -sup.], scant, trifle, tad, little in the way of.

Ex. Explanatory references give a little more explanation as to why the link between two names is being made in the catalogue or index.

Ex. Carlton Duncan discussed the difficulties built into the educational processes which led to under-performance at school and the resulting low representation in higher education and low entry into the professions.

Ex. Scant attention is paid to evaluation and the needs of users.

Ex. She had been a trifle nervous until it was formally announced that the position was hers.

Ex. Williams is one of those rare poets who satisfies the yearning that many of us have for the memorable phrase we wish we had said were our perceptions a tad keener.

Ex. Without any significant restructuring, the LIS programme in Iran will provide little in the way of riding out the rapid transition that the field is currently experiencing.

----

* abultar poco = be skimpy.

* acercarse poco a poco (a) = edge (toward(s)).

* actuar con poca consideración hacia = play + fast and loose with.

* agua poco profunda = shallow water.

* aguas poco profundas = shallows.

* alimentos poco saludables = unhealthy foods.

* a poca distancia = not far behind.

* a poca distancia andando = within walking distance, within an easy walk.

* a poca distancia a pie = within an easy walk, within walking distance.

* a pocos minutos andando = within walking distance, within easy walking distance, within an easy walk.

* a pocos minutos a pie = within walking distance, within easy walking distance, within an easy walk.

* avanzar poco a poco (hacia) = edge (toward(s)).

* cada pocos años = every few years.

* comida poco saludable = unhealthy foods.

* comportamiento poco cívico = uncivic behaviour.

* con muchos huesos y poca carne = bony [bonier -comp., boniest -sup.].

* con muy poca antelación = at (a) very short notice.

* con muy poca anticipación = at (a) very short notice.

* con muy poca frecuencia = all too seldom.

* con muy pocas excepciones = with few exceptions.

* con muy pocos medios = on a shoestring (budget).

* con poca claridad = indistinctly.

* con poca exactitud = loosely.

* con poca experiencia = inexperienced.

* con poca iluminación = dimly illuminated.

* con poca imaginación = unimaginatively.

* con poca naturalidad = stiltedly.

* con poca población = thinly populated.

* con pocas habilidades = poor-ability.

* con poca visión de futuro = short-sighted [shortsighted].

* con poco dinero = on the cheap.

* con poco entusiasmo = half-heartedly.

* con pocos recursos = under-resourced.

* con pocos recursos económicos = low-budget.

* consumir poco a poco = eat away at.

* con tan poca antelación = at such short notice.

* con tan poca anticipación = at such short notice.

* correr poco a poco = eat away at.

* cuestiones poco claras = grey area [gray area].

* de forma poco ética = unethically.

* de forma poco imaginativa = unimaginatively.

* de forma poco profesional = unprofessionally.

= petty criminal.

Ex. When the security services carry out acts of terror, they employ patsies who often are petty criminals or people who are mentally backward or mentally unstable.

----

* de manera poco ética = unethically.

* de manera poco profesional = unprofessionally.

* demasiado poco común = all too rare.

* de modo poco imaginativo = unimaginatively.

* dentro de poco = before long.

* de población poco densa = sparsely populated.

* de poca importancia = menial, small-time.

* de poca monta = hack, small-time.

* de pocas luces = dim [dimmer -comp., dimmest -sup.], dim-witted [dimwitted].

* de poco impacto = low impact [low-impact].

* de poco peso = pat, feeble.

* de poco provecho = fruitless.

* de poco uso = low-use.

* de poco valor = a dime a dozen.

* desaparecer poco a poco = fade into + the sunset.

* de todo un poco = about this and that and everything else, about this and that.

* de un modo poco constructivo = unconstructively.

* de un modo poco económico = wastefully.

* de un modo poco natural = unnaturally.

* donde cabe mucho también cabe poco = what holds a lot will hold a little.

* durar poco = be short term.

* echar poco a poco = dribble.

* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.

* en el caso poco probable de que = in the unlikely case (that).

* en muy poco tiempo = before long.

* en pocas palabras = simply put, in brief, to say the least, to put it (quite) simply, in short, to cut a long story short, bottom line, the, put simply, to make a long story short, the short story + be, simply stated.

* en poco tiempo = before very long, in quite a short time, in a short time, in a short span of time.

* en unos pocos años = within a few years.

* estar poco dispuesto = be reluctant.

* estar poco representado = underrepresent [under-represent].

* estar un poco anticuado = be some years old.

* excusa poco convincente = lame excuse.

* faltar poco (para) = have + a short way to go (before).

* faltar un poco = be some way off.

* gente de poca importancia = small fry, the.

* haber poca duda de que = there + be + little doubt that.

* hace muy poco tiempo = a short time ago.

* hace poco tiempo = a short time ago.

* hacer poca distinción entre... y... = make + little distinction between... and....

* hacer poco = do + little.

* hacer que sea poco probable = render + unlikely.

* hace unos pocos años = a few years ago.

* hace unos pocos días = a few days ago.

* hasta hace muy poco = until recently, up until recently.

* hasta hace relativamente poco tiempo = until relatively recently.

* horas de poca actividad = slack hours.

* horas de poco movimiento = slack hours.

* introducirse poco a poco = ease + Reflexivo + in.

* ir poco más allá de + Infinitivo = go little further than + Gerundio.

* llegar poco a poco = dribble in.

* lo poco común = rarity, rareness.

* mucho ruido para pocas nueces = much ado about nothing.

* mucho ruido y pocas nueces = storm in a teacup, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* muchos jefes y pocos trabajadores = too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

* muy poco = minimally.

* ofrecer poco = low-ball.

* operación de poca monta = one-room, one-person operation.

* pagando un poco más = at additional cost.

* parece tener poco sentido que = there + seem + little point in.

* pasar poco a poco = slide into.

* período de poca actividad = slack time.

* perro ladrador, poco mordedor = barking dogs seldom bite, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* poca cantidad = trickle.

* poca cosa = small fry, the.

* poca iluminación = poor lighting.

* poca importancia = unimportance, low profile.

* poca notoriedad = low profile.

* poca probabilidad = slim chance.

* poca severidad = lenience, leniency.

* pocas expectativas = low expectation.

* poca utilidad = unhelpfulness.

* poco abundante = light [lighter -comp., lightest -sup.].

* poco accesible = unapproachable.

* poco acertado = clumsy [clumsier -comp., clumsiest -sup.], injudicious.

* poco acogedor = inhospitable.

* poco aconsejable = unwise, inadvisable.

* poco adecuado = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco + Adjetivo = slightly + Adjetivo, less than + Adjetivo.

* poco afortunado = unhappy, ill-favoured [ill-favored, -USA].

* poco agraciado = ill-favoured [ill-favored, -USA].

* poco amable = off-putting, surly [surlier -comp., surliest -sup.], crusty [crustier -comp., crustiest -sup.], unkind.

* poco americano = un-American.

* poco amistoso = off-putting, unfriendly.

* poco antes de + Fecha = shortly before + Fecha.

* poco a poco = gradually, piecemeal, slowly, incrementally, at a snail's pace, little by little, bit by bit.

* poco apreciado = unappreciated.

* poco apropiado = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco apto = inapt.

* poco arriesgado = low-risk.

* poco asequible = unapproachable.

* poco atractivo = off-putting, unattractive, unglamorous, uninviting, unappealing.

* poco atrevido = unadventurous.

* poco audaz = unadventurous.

* poco aventurero = unadventurous.

* poco cabelleroso = ungentlemanlike.

* poco cálido = lukewarm.

* poco científico = hit-or-miss, unscientific.

* poco cívico = uncivic.

* poco claro = confusing, fuzzy [fuzzier - comp., fuzziest -sup.], indistinct, obscure, unclear, untidy, hazy, inconclusive, slurred, clouded, blurry [blurrier -comp., blurriest -sup.], undistinguished, uncleared, indistinctive, bleary [blearier -comp., bleariest -sup.].

* poco colaborador = unresponsive.

* poco comercial = uncommercial.

* poco competitivo = uncompetitive.

* poco complicado = uncomplicated, uncomplicatedly.

* poco comprensivo = unsympathetic.

* poco común = rare, unfamiliar, unusual, uncommon, unordinary, out of the ordinary.

* poco comunicativo = uncommunicative, reserved.

* poco confortable = uncomfortable.

* poco conocido = obscure, little known.

* poco convencido = unconvinced.

* poco convencional = unconventional.

* poco convincente = unconvincing, inconclusive, pat, feeble.

* poco convincentemente = unconvincingly.

* poco correcto = ungentlemanlike.

* poco cortés = impolite, ungentlemanlike.

* poco culto = unenlightened.

* poco decidido = half-hearted [halfhearted].

* poco definido = blurry [blurrier -comp., blurriest -sup.], bleary [blearier -comp., bleariest -sup.].

* poco denso = rarefied.

* poco deportivo = unsportsmanlike.

* poco después = soon afterwards, shortly afterwards, shortly after, not long after.

* poco después de = soon after (that), shortly after.

* poco después de que = shortly after.

* poco diestro = poor-ability.

* poco diplomático = indiscreet.

* poco dispuesto = disinclined.

* poco dispuesto a colaborar = uncooperative.

* poco ducho en las nuevas tecnologías = technologically challenged.

* poco económico = uneconomical.

* poco efectivo = ineffectual.

* poco eficaz = non-efficient.

* poco elegante = inelegant, awkward, dowdy [dowdier -comp., dowdiest -sup.].

* poco embarazoso = unembarrassing.

* poco entusiasta = half-hearted [halfhearted], lukewarm.

* poco envidiable = unenviable.

* poco estable = unsettled.

* poco estético = unaesthetic.

* poco estimulador = unchallenging.

* poco estimulante = unexciting, uninspiring, unmoving.

* poco estricto = lax.

* poco ético = unethical.

* poco evidente = unnoticed, unnoted.

* poco exigente = untaxing, undemanding.

* poco favorable = unpromising.

* poco favorecedor = unflattering.

* poco fiable = unreliable, undependable, flaky [flakey].

* poco firme = tenuous, rocky [rockier -comp., rockiest -sup.].

* poco flexible = monolithic, inelastic.

* poco frecuente = infrequent.

* poco fructífero = unfruitful.

* poco gratificante = unrewarding, unsatisfying.

* poco grato = unwelcome.

* poco hábil = poor-ability.

* poco habitual = unaccustomed.

* poco halagador = unflattering.

* poco halagüeño = unflattering.

* poco hospitalario = inhospitable.

* poco idóneo = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco iluminado = dimly illuminated.

* poco imaginativo = unimaginative.

* poco importante = menial, small-time.

* poco impresionado = unimpressed.

* poco informativo = uninformative.

* poco intelectual = lowbrow [low-brow].

* poco inteligente = unintelligent.

* poco intenso = light [lighter -comp., lightest -sup.].

* poco interesante = dull, jackdaw, uninteresting, uninspiring, unremarkable.

* poco juicioso = injudicious.

* poco justificado = ill-justified.

* poco listo = underprepared.

* poco maduro = underripe.

* poco más = little else.

* poco materialista = unworldly.

* poco memorable = forgettable.

* poco mundano = unwordly.

* poco natural = unnatural, stilted.

* poco nítido = untidy.

* poco normal = unnatural, unordinary, out of the ordinary.

* poco novedoso = trite.

* poco original = unoriginal.

* poco ortodoxo = unorthodox.

* poco poblado = thinly populated.

* poco práctico = impractical, awkward.

* poco preparado = underprepared.

* poco probable = unlikely, far-fetched [farfetched].

* poco productivo = unproductive.

* poco profesional = amateurish, unprofessional.

* poco profundo = shallow [shallower -comp., shallowest -sup.].

* poco prometedor = bleak, unpromising.

* poco propicio = unpromising, unpromising.

* poco provechoso = fruitless, unrewarding.

* poco prudente = ill-advised, ill-judged.

* poco pulido = unpolished.

* poco razonable = unreasonable.

* poco realista = unrealistic, unreal, unwordly, way out in left field, airy-fairy.

* poco recomendable = inadvisable.

* poco refinado = unrefined, unpolished.

* poco rentable = uneconomical.

* poco representativo = unrepresentative.

* poco romántico = unromantic.

* poco sabido = little known.

* poco saludable = unwholesome, insalubrious.

* poco sano = unwholesome, insalubrious.

* poco seguro = dicey [dicier -comp., diciest -sup.].

* poco sensato = ill-advised, injudicious, ill-judged.

* poco sentimental = unsentimental.

* poco serio = flippant.

* poco sincero = insincere.

* poco sistemático = sloppy [sloppier -comp., sloppiest -sup.].

* poco social = unsocial.

* poco sofisticado = elementary, unsophisticated, corn-fed.

* poco sólido = insubstantial.

* poco tiempo = short while, short time.

* poco tiempo después = shortly afterwards.

* poco tradicional = untraditional.

* poco unido = loosely knit.

* poco uniforme = patchy [patchier -comp., patchiest -sup.].

* poco usado = little-used.

* poco usual = unusual.

* poco útil = clumsy [clumsier -comp., clumsiest -sup.], unhelpful.

* poquito a poco = little by little.

* por mencionar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por mencionar uno pocos = just to name a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por nombrar unos pocos = to name a few.

* por poco dinero = cheaply.

* por poco o nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por si era poco = for good measure.

* por si fuera poco = to boot, for good measure, to add insult to injury, to add salt to injury, to rub salt in the wound.

* prestar poca atención a = give + little thought to.

* pretexto poco convincente = lame excuse.

* quedar poco (para) = have + a short way to go (before).

* quedar un poco = be some way off.

* quedar un poco perjudicado = be a little worse prepared, be a little worse off.

* que ocupa poco espacio = space-saving.

* qué poco común = how odd.

* quien mucho abarca poco aprieta = bite off more than + Pronombre + can chew.

* reducirse poco a poco = dribble off.

* resultar poco fructífero = prove + unfruitful.

* roer poco a poco = eat away at.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sacar poco a poco = tease out.

* salir un poco perjudicado = be a little worse prepared, be a little worse off.

* sangre poco espesa = thin blood.

* ser algo muy poco frecuente = be a rare occurrence.

* ser algo poco común = be the exception rather than the rule.

* ser algo poco conocido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser algo poco frecuente = be a rare occurrence.

* ser algo poco sabido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser de poco valor = be of little use, be of little value.

* ser muy poco probable = be remote.

* ser poco = be under-provided.

* ser poco agradecido = be thankless.

* ser poco eficaz = do + little.

* ser poco reconocido = be thankless.

* ser pocos = be few in number, be small in number.

* ser un hecho poco conocido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser un hecho poco sabido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* servir de poco = be of little use.

* servir de poco o nada = be of little or no avail.

* solución poco real = pie in the sky solution.

* tener poca información = be information poor.

* tener pocas luces = as thick as a brick, as thick as two (short) planks, as daft as a brush, knucklehead.

* tener pocas posibilidades de = have + little recourse.

* tener poco que ver = have + little to do.

* tener poco valor = be of little value.

* trabajo de poca monta = odd-job.

* un hombre de pocas palabras = a man of few words.

* unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* un poco = a bit, somewhat, slightly, something of, a little bit, kinda [kind of].

* un poco áspero = roughish.

* un poco como = kind of like.

* un poco de = a measure of, a touch (of), a bit of, a piece of, a spot of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un poco + Nombre = a shade + Nombre.

* un poco obscuro = dusky.

* un poco perdido = a bit at sea.

* un poco rugoso = roughish.

* usado con poca frecuencia = seldom used [seldom-used].

* usuario que hace poco uso del préstamo = light borrower.

* utilizar poco = underutilise/under-utilise [underutilize/under-utilize, -USA].

* vivienda poco digna = poor housing.

* y poco más = and little more.

* * *

I

adverbio

es muy poco agradecido — he is very ungrateful

un autor muy poco conocido — a very little-known author

me resultó poco interesante — I didn't find it very interesting

habla poco — he doesn't say much o a lot

viene muy poco por aquí — he hardly ever comes around

... con lo poco que le gusta el arroz —... and he doesn't even like rice; para locs ver poco III 4)

II

- ca adjetivo ( con sustantivos no numerables) little; ( en plural) few

muy poco vino — very little wine

muy pocos niños — very few children

qué poco sentido común tienes! — you don't have much common sense, do you?

tengo muy poca ropa — I have very few clothes

éramos demasiado pocos — there were too few of us

fue asombroso, todo lo que te pueda decir es poco — it was amazing, I can't (even) begin to tell you

todo le parece poco — she is never satisfied

III

- ca pronombre

1) (poca cantidad, poca cosa)

le serví sopa pero comió poca — I gave her some soup but she didn't eat much

por poco que gane... — no matter how little o however little she earns...

se conforma con poco — he's easily satisfied

poco faltó para que me pegara — he nearly hit me

lo poco que gana se lo gasta en vino — he spends the little o what little he earns on wine

compra más lentejas, nos quedan muy pocas — buy some more lentils, we've hardly any left

es un profesor como pocos — there aren't many teachers like him

pocos pueden permitirse ese lujo — not many people can afford to do that

2) poco ( refiriéndose a tiempo)

lo vi hace poco — I saw him recently o not long ago

hace muy poco que lo conoce — she hasn't known him for very long

tardó poco en hacerlo — it didn't take him long to do it

falta poco para las navidades — it's not long till Christmas

a poco de venir él — soon o shortly after he came

dentro de poco — soon

poco antes de que... — a short while o shortly before...

3) un poco

a) ( refiriéndose a cantidades) a little; ( refiriéndose a tiempo) a while

espera un poquito — wait a little while

todavía le duele un poco — it still hurts him a little o a bit

es un poco lo que está pasando en Japón — it's rather like what's happening in Japan

un poco porque me dio lástima — partly because I felt sorry for him

b)

un poco de: un poco de pimienta/vino a little (bit of) pepper/wine; come un poco de jamón — have a bit of ham

c)

un poco + adj/adv: un poco caro/tarde — a bit o a little expensive/late

4) (en locs)

a poco — (Méx)

¿a poco no lees los periódicos? — don't you read the newspapers?

a poco no está fabuloso Acapulco! — isn't Acapulco just fantastic!

a poco ganaron! — don't tell me they won!

de a poco — (AmL) gradually

agrégale la leche de a poquito — add the milk gradually o a little at a time

de a poquito se lo fue comiendo — little by little she ate it all up

en poco: en poco estuvo que no viniéramos we almost didn't come; tienen en poco la vida ajena they set little value on other people's lives; me tienes bien en poco si crees que... you can't think very highly o much of me if you think...; poco a poco gradually; poco más o menos approximately, roughly; poco menos que nearly; poco menos que la mata (fam) he almost killed her; poco menos que los echan a patadas (fam) they practically kicked them out; por poco — nearly

* * *

= little [less -comp., least -sup.], low [lower -comp., lowest -sup.], scant, trifle, tad, little in the way of.

Ex: Explanatory references give a little more explanation as to why the link between two names is being made in the catalogue or index.

Ex: Carlton Duncan discussed the difficulties built into the educational processes which led to under-performance at school and the resulting low representation in higher education and low entry into the professions.

Ex: Scant attention is paid to evaluation and the needs of users.

Ex: She had been a trifle nervous until it was formally announced that the position was hers.

Ex: Williams is one of those rare poets who satisfies the yearning that many of us have for the memorable phrase we wish we had said were our perceptions a tad keener.

Ex: Without any significant restructuring, the LIS programme in Iran will provide little in the way of riding out the rapid transition that the field is currently experiencing.

* abultar poco = be skimpy.

* acercarse poco a poco (a) = edge (toward(s)).

* actuar con poca consideración hacia = play + fast and loose with.

* agua poco profunda = shallow water.

* aguas poco profundas = shallows.

* alimentos poco saludables = unhealthy foods.

* a poca distancia = not far behind.

* a poca distancia andando = within walking distance, within an easy walk.

* a poca distancia a pie = within an easy walk, within walking distance.

* a pocos minutos andando = within walking distance, within easy walking distance, within an easy walk.

* a pocos minutos a pie = within walking distance, within easy walking distance, within an easy walk.

* avanzar poco a poco (hacia) = edge (toward(s)).

* cada pocos años = every few years.

* comida poco saludable = unhealthy foods.

* comportamiento poco cívico = uncivic behaviour.

* con muchos huesos y poca carne = bony [bonier -comp., boniest -sup.].

* con muy poca antelación = at (a) very short notice.

* con muy poca anticipación = at (a) very short notice.

* con muy poca frecuencia = all too seldom.

* con muy pocas excepciones = with few exceptions.

* con muy pocos medios = on a shoestring (budget).

* con poca claridad = indistinctly.

* con poca exactitud = loosely.

* con poca experiencia = inexperienced.

* con poca iluminación = dimly illuminated.

* con poca imaginación = unimaginatively.

* con poca naturalidad = stiltedly.

* con poca población = thinly populated.

* con pocas habilidades = poor-ability.

* con poca visión de futuro = short-sighted [shortsighted].

* con poco dinero = on the cheap.

* con poco entusiasmo = half-heartedly.

* con pocos recursos = under-resourced.

* con pocos recursos económicos = low-budget.

* consumir poco a poco = eat away at.

* con tan poca antelación = at such short notice.

* con tan poca anticipación = at such short notice.

* correr poco a poco = eat away at.

* cuestiones poco claras = grey area [gray area].

* de forma poco ética = unethically.

* de forma poco imaginativa = unimaginatively.

* de forma poco profesional = unprofessionally.

= petty criminal.

Ex: When the security services carry out acts of terror, they employ patsies who often are petty criminals or people who are mentally backward or mentally unstable.

* de manera poco ética = unethically.

* de manera poco profesional = unprofessionally.

* demasiado poco común = all too rare.

* de modo poco imaginativo = unimaginatively.

* dentro de poco = before long.

* de población poco densa = sparsely populated.

* de poca importancia = menial, small-time.

* de poca monta = hack, small-time.

* de pocas luces = dim [dimmer -comp., dimmest -sup.], dim-witted [dimwitted].

* de poco impacto = low impact [low-impact].

* de poco peso = pat, feeble.

* de poco provecho = fruitless.

* de poco uso = low-use.

* de poco valor = a dime a dozen.

* desaparecer poco a poco = fade into + the sunset.

* de todo un poco = about this and that and everything else, about this and that.

* de un modo poco constructivo = unconstructively.

* de un modo poco económico = wastefully.

* de un modo poco natural = unnaturally.

* donde cabe mucho también cabe poco = what holds a lot will hold a little.

* durar poco = be short term.

* echar poco a poco = dribble.

* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.

* en el caso poco probable de que = in the unlikely case (that).

* en muy poco tiempo = before long.

* en pocas palabras = simply put, in brief, to say the least, to put it (quite) simply, in short, to cut a long story short, bottom line, the, put simply, to make a long story short, the short story + be, simply stated.

* en poco tiempo = before very long, in quite a short time, in a short time, in a short span of time.

* en unos pocos años = within a few years.

* estar poco dispuesto = be reluctant.

* estar poco representado = underrepresent [under-represent].

* estar un poco anticuado = be some years old.

* excusa poco convincente = lame excuse.

* faltar poco (para) = have + a short way to go (before).

* faltar un poco = be some way off.

* gente de poca importancia = small fry, the.

* haber poca duda de que = there + be + little doubt that.

* hace muy poco tiempo = a short time ago.

* hace poco tiempo = a short time ago.

* hacer poca distinción entre... y... = make + little distinction between... and....

* hacer poco = do + little.

* hacer que sea poco probable = render + unlikely.

* hace unos pocos años = a few years ago.

* hace unos pocos días = a few days ago.

* hasta hace muy poco = until recently, up until recently.

* hasta hace relativamente poco tiempo = until relatively recently.

* horas de poca actividad = slack hours.

* horas de poco movimiento = slack hours.

* introducirse poco a poco = ease + Reflexivo + in.

* ir poco más allá de + Infinitivo = go little further than + Gerundio.

* llegar poco a poco = dribble in.

* lo poco común = rarity, rareness.

* mucho ruido para pocas nueces = much ado about nothing.

* mucho ruido y pocas nueces = storm in a teacup, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* muchos jefes y pocos trabajadores = too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

* muy poco = minimally.

* ofrecer poco = low-ball.

* operación de poca monta = one-room, one-person operation.

* pagando un poco más = at additional cost.

* parece tener poco sentido que = there + seem + little point in.

* pasar poco a poco = slide into.

* período de poca actividad = slack time.

* perro ladrador, poco mordedor = barking dogs seldom bite, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* poca cantidad = trickle.

* poca cosa = small fry, the.

* poca iluminación = poor lighting.

* poca importancia = unimportance, low profile.

* poca notoriedad = low profile.

* poca probabilidad = slim chance.

* poca severidad = lenience, leniency.

* pocas expectativas = low expectation.

* poca utilidad = unhelpfulness.

* poco abundante = light [lighter -comp., lightest -sup.].

* poco accesible = unapproachable.

* poco acertado = clumsy [clumsier -comp., clumsiest -sup.], injudicious.

* poco acogedor = inhospitable.

* poco aconsejable = unwise, inadvisable.

* poco adecuado = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco + Adjetivo = slightly + Adjetivo, less than + Adjetivo.

* poco afortunado = unhappy, ill-favoured [ill-favored, -USA].

* poco agraciado = ill-favoured [ill-favored, -USA].

* poco amable = off-putting, surly [surlier -comp., surliest -sup.], crusty [crustier -comp., crustiest -sup.], unkind.

* poco americano = un-American.

* poco amistoso = off-putting, unfriendly.

* poco antes de + Fecha = shortly before + Fecha.

* poco a poco = gradually, piecemeal, slowly, incrementally, at a snail's pace, little by little, bit by bit.

* poco apreciado = unappreciated.

* poco apropiado = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco apto = inapt.

* poco arriesgado = low-risk.

* poco asequible = unapproachable.

* poco atractivo = off-putting, unattractive, unglamorous, uninviting, unappealing.

* poco atrevido = unadventurous.

* poco audaz = unadventurous.

* poco aventurero = unadventurous.

* poco cabelleroso = ungentlemanlike.

* poco cálido = lukewarm.

* poco científico = hit-or-miss, unscientific.

* poco cívico = uncivic.

* poco claro = confusing, fuzzy [fuzzier - comp., fuzziest -sup.], indistinct, obscure, unclear, untidy, hazy, inconclusive, slurred, clouded, blurry [blurrier -comp., blurriest -sup.], undistinguished, uncleared, indistinctive, bleary [blearier -comp., bleariest -sup.].

* poco colaborador = unresponsive.

* poco comercial = uncommercial.

* poco competitivo = uncompetitive.

* poco complicado = uncomplicated, uncomplicatedly.

* poco comprensivo = unsympathetic.

* poco común = rare, unfamiliar, unusual, uncommon, unordinary, out of the ordinary.

* poco comunicativo = uncommunicative, reserved.

* poco confortable = uncomfortable.

* poco conocido = obscure, little known.

* poco convencido = unconvinced.

* poco convencional = unconventional.

* poco convincente = unconvincing, inconclusive, pat, feeble.

* poco convincentemente = unconvincingly.

* poco correcto = ungentlemanlike.

* poco cortés = impolite, ungentlemanlike.

* poco culto = unenlightened.

* poco decidido = half-hearted [halfhearted].

* poco definido = blurry [blurrier -comp., blurriest -sup.], bleary [blearier -comp., bleariest -sup.].

* poco denso = rarefied.

* poco deportivo = unsportsmanlike.

* poco después = soon afterwards, shortly afterwards, shortly after, not long after.

* poco después de = soon after (that), shortly after.

* poco después de que = shortly after.

* poco diestro = poor-ability.

* poco diplomático = indiscreet.

* poco dispuesto = disinclined.

* poco dispuesto a colaborar = uncooperative.

* poco ducho en las nuevas tecnologías = technologically challenged.

* poco económico = uneconomical.

* poco efectivo = ineffectual.

* poco eficaz = non-efficient.

* poco elegante = inelegant, awkward, dowdy [dowdier -comp., dowdiest -sup.].

* poco embarazoso = unembarrassing.

* poco entusiasta = half-hearted [halfhearted], lukewarm.

* poco envidiable = unenviable.

* poco estable = unsettled.

* poco estético = unaesthetic.

* poco estimulador = unchallenging.

* poco estimulante = unexciting, uninspiring, unmoving.

* poco estricto = lax.

* poco ético = unethical.

* poco evidente = unnoticed, unnoted.

* poco exigente = untaxing, undemanding.

* poco favorable = unpromising.

* poco favorecedor = unflattering.

* poco fiable = unreliable, undependable, flaky [flakey].

* poco firme = tenuous, rocky [rockier -comp., rockiest -sup.].

* poco flexible = monolithic, inelastic.

* poco frecuente = infrequent.

* poco fructífero = unfruitful.

* poco gratificante = unrewarding, unsatisfying.

* poco grato = unwelcome.

* poco hábil = poor-ability.

* poco habitual = unaccustomed.

* poco halagador = unflattering.

* poco halagüeño = unflattering.

* poco hospitalario = inhospitable.

* poco idóneo = unsuited, unsuitable, inapt.

* poco iluminado = dimly illuminated.

* poco imaginativo = unimaginative.

* poco importante = menial, small-time.

* poco impresionado = unimpressed.

* poco informativo = uninformative.

* poco intelectual = lowbrow [low-brow].

* poco inteligente = unintelligent.

* poco intenso = light [lighter -comp., lightest -sup.].

* poco interesante = dull, jackdaw, uninteresting, uninspiring, unremarkable.

* poco juicioso = injudicious.

* poco justificado = ill-justified.

* poco listo = underprepared.

* poco maduro = underripe.

* poco más = little else.

* poco materialista = unworldly.

* poco memorable = forgettable.

* poco mundano = unwordly.

* poco natural = unnatural, stilted.

* poco nítido = untidy.

* poco normal = unnatural, unordinary, out of the ordinary.

* poco novedoso = trite.

* poco original = unoriginal.

* poco ortodoxo = unorthodox.

* poco poblado = thinly populated.

* poco práctico = impractical, awkward.

* poco preparado = underprepared.

* poco probable = unlikely, far-fetched [farfetched].

* poco productivo = unproductive.

* poco profesional = amateurish, unprofessional.

* poco profundo = shallow [shallower -comp., shallowest -sup.].

* poco prometedor = bleak, unpromising.

* poco propicio = unpromising, unpromising.

* poco provechoso = fruitless, unrewarding.

* poco prudente = ill-advised, ill-judged.

* poco pulido = unpolished.

* poco razonable = unreasonable.

* poco realista = unrealistic, unreal, unwordly, way out in left field, airy-fairy.

* poco recomendable = inadvisable.

* poco refinado = unrefined, unpolished.

* poco rentable = uneconomical.

* poco representativo = unrepresentative.

* poco romántico = unromantic.

* poco sabido = little known.

* poco saludable = unwholesome, insalubrious.

* poco sano = unwholesome, insalubrious.

* poco seguro = dicey [dicier -comp., diciest -sup.].

* poco sensato = ill-advised, injudicious, ill-judged.

* poco sentimental = unsentimental.

* poco serio = flippant.

* poco sincero = insincere.

* poco sistemático = sloppy [sloppier -comp., sloppiest -sup.].

* poco social = unsocial.

* poco sofisticado = elementary, unsophisticated, corn-fed.

* poco sólido = insubstantial.

* poco tiempo = short while, short time.

* poco tiempo después = shortly afterwards.

* poco tradicional = untraditional.

* poco unido = loosely knit.

* poco uniforme = patchy [patchier -comp., patchiest -sup.].

* poco usado = little-used.

* poco usual = unusual.

* poco útil = clumsy [clumsier -comp., clumsiest -sup.], unhelpful.

* poquito a poco = little by little.

* por mencionar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por mencionar uno pocos = just to name a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos pocos = to name but a few.

* por nombrar unos pocos = to name a few.

* por poco dinero = cheaply.

* por poco o nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por si era poco = for good measure.

* por si fuera poco = to boot, for good measure, to add insult to injury, to add salt to injury, to rub salt in the wound.

* prestar poca atención a = give + little thought to.

* pretexto poco convincente = lame excuse.

* quedar poco (para) = have + a short way to go (before).

* quedar un poco = be some way off.

* quedar un poco perjudicado = be a little worse prepared, be a little worse off.

* que ocupa poco espacio = space-saving.

* qué poco común = how odd.

* quien mucho abarca poco aprieta = bite off more than + Pronombre + can chew.

* reducirse poco a poco = dribble off.

* resultar poco fructífero = prove + unfruitful.

* roer poco a poco = eat away at.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sacar poco a poco = tease out.

* salir un poco perjudicado = be a little worse prepared, be a little worse off.

* sangre poco espesa = thin blood.

* ser algo muy poco frecuente = be a rare occurrence.

* ser algo poco común = be the exception rather than the rule.

* ser algo poco conocido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser algo poco frecuente = be a rare occurrence.

* ser algo poco sabido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser de poco valor = be of little use, be of little value.

* ser muy poco probable = be remote.

* ser poco = be under-provided.

* ser poco agradecido = be thankless.

* ser poco eficaz = do + little.

* ser poco reconocido = be thankless.

* ser pocos = be few in number, be small in number.

* ser un hecho poco conocido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* ser un hecho poco sabido que = it + be + a little known fact that.

* servir de poco = be of little use.

* servir de poco o nada = be of little or no avail.

* solución poco real = pie in the sky solution.

* tener poca información = be information poor.

* tener pocas luces = as thick as a brick, as thick as two (short) planks, as daft as a brush, knucklehead.

* tener pocas posibilidades de = have + little recourse.

* tener poco que ver = have + little to do.

* tener poco valor = be of little value.

* trabajo de poca monta = odd-job.

* un hombre de pocas palabras = a man of few words.

* unos pocos elegidos = a select few.

* un poco = a bit, somewhat, slightly, something of, a little bit, kinda [kind of].

* un poco áspero = roughish.

* un poco como = kind of like.

* un poco de = a measure of, a touch (of), a bit of, a piece of, a spot of, a splash of, a hint of.

* un poco + Nombre = a shade + Nombre.

* un poco obscuro = dusky.

* un poco perdido = a bit at sea.

* un poco rugoso = roughish.

* usado con poca frecuencia = seldom used [seldom-used].

* usuario que hace poco uso del préstamo = light borrower.

* utilizar poco = underutilise/under-utilise [underutilize/under-utilize, -USA].

* vivienda poco digna = poor housing.

* y poco más = and little more.

* * *

poco¹

adverb

[ Grammar notes (Spanish) ]

es muy poco agradecido he is very ungrateful, he isn't at all grateful

es un autor muy poco conocido he is a very little-known author

me resultó poco interesante I didn't find it very interesting, I found it rather uninteresting

habla poco he doesn't say much o a lot

duerme poquísimo she sleeps very little, she doesn't sleep very much

viene muy poco por aquí he hardly ever comes around

poco y nada me ayudaron they hardly helped me at all

… con lo poco que le gusta el arroz … and he doesn't even like rice

para locs ver poco³ pron D. (↑ poco (3))

poco² -ca

adjective

[ Grammar notes (Spanish) ] (con sustantivos no numerables) little; (en plural) few

muy poco vino very little wine

muy pocos niños very few children

hemos tenido muy poca suerte we've been very unlucky, we've had very little luck

¡qué poco sentido común tienes! you don't have much common sense, do you?

tengo muy poca ropa I have hardly any clothes, I have very few clothes

a poca gente se le presenta esa oportunidad not many people get that opportunity

hay muy pocas mujeres en el gremio there are very few women in the trade

éramos demasiado pocos there were too few of us, there weren't enough of us

fue asombroso, todo lo que te pueda decir es poco it was amazing, I can't begin to tell you

a esta mujer todo le parece poco this woman is never satisfied

me he olvidado del poco francés/de las pocas palabras que sabía I've forgotten the little French/the few words I knew

le dio unos pocos pesos she gave him a few pesos

poco³ -ca

pronoun

[ Grammar notes (Spanish) ]

A

(poca cantidad, poca cosa): le serví sopa pero comió poca I gave her some soup but she only ate a little o she didn't eat much

sírvele poco, desayunó muy tarde don't give him (too) much, he had a late breakfast

por poco que gane, siempre es otro sueldo no matter how little o however little she earns o even if she doesn't earn much, it's still another salary coming in

se conforma con poco he's easily satisfied

poco faltó para que me pegara he nearly hit me

poco y nada saqué en limpio de lo que dijo what he said made little or no sense to me

lo poco que gana se lo gasta en vino he spends the little o what little he earns on wine

compra más lentejas, nos quedan muy pocas buy some more lentils, we've hardly any left o we have very few left

es un profesor como pocos there aren't many teachers like him

pocos pueden permitirse ese lujo not many people can afford to do that

B

poco (refiriéndose a tiempo): lo vi hace poco I saw him recently o not long ago

hace muy poco que lo conoce she hasn't known him for very long, she's only known him a little while

tardó poco en pintar la cocina it didn't take him long to paint the kitchen

falta poco para las navidades it's not long till Christmas, Christmas isn't far off

a poco de terminar el bombardeo soon o shortly after the bombing stopped

dentro de poco sale otro tren there'll be another train soon o shortly

poco antes de que ella se fuera a short while o shortly before she left

C

un poco

1 (refiriéndose a cantidades) a little; (refiriéndose a tiempo) a while

¿te sirvo un poco? would you like a little o some?

descansemos un poco let's rest for a while, let's have a little rest

espera un poquito wait a little while

todavía le duele un poquitín or poquitito it still hurts him a little

2

un poco de: ponle un poco de pimienta/vino add a little (bit of) pepper/wine

tiene un poco de fiebre he has a slight fever, he has a bit of a temperature o a slight temperature ( BrE)

come un poco de jamón have a bit of o some o a little ham

3

un poco (hasta cierto punto): es un poco lo que está pasando en Japón it's rather like what's happening in Japan

un poco porque me dio lástima partly because I felt sorry for him

4 un poco + ADJ/ADV:

un poco caro/tarde a bit o a little expensive/late

me queda un poco corto it's a bit short o a little short o slightly too short (for me)

habla un poco más fuerte speak up a bit o a little

D ( en locs):

a poco ( Méx): ¿a poco no lees los periódicos? don't you read the newspapers?

¡a poco no está fabuloso Acapulco! isn't Acapulco just fantastic!

¡a poco ganaron! don't tell me they won!

nos sacamos el gordo de la lotería — ¡a poco ! we won the big lottery prize — you didn't!

de a poco ( AmL); gradually

agrégale la leche de a poquito add the milk gradually o a little at a time

de a poquito se lo fue comiendo little by little o slowly she ate it all up

en poco: en poco estuvo que nos ganaran they came very close to beating us, they very nearly beat us

en poco estuvo que no viniéramos we almost didn't come

tienen en poco la vida ajena they set little value on other people's lives

me tienes bien en poco si me crees capaz de eso you can't think very highly o much of me if you think I could do such a thing

poco a poco or ( Méx) a poquito gradually

poco a poco la fueron arreglando they gradually fixed it up, they fixed it up little by little

poco más o menos approximately, roughly

habrán gastado unos dos millones, poco más o menos they must have spent in the neighborhood o ( BrE) region of two million

poco menos que nearly

es poco menos que imposible it's well-nigh o almost o very nearly impossible

le pegó una paliza que poco menos que la mata ( fam); he gave her such a beating he almost o nearly killed her

poco menos que los echan a patadas ( fam); they practically kicked them out

por poco nearly

por poco nos descubren we were nearly found out

* * *

 

poco 1 adverbio:

◊ habla poco he doesn't say much o a lot;

es muy poco agradecido he is very ungrateful;
un autor muy poco conocido a very little-known author;
viene muy poco por aquí he hardly ever comes around;
para locs ver poco 2 4
poco 2 -ca adjetivo ( con sustantivos no numerables) little;

( en plural) few;

◊ muy poco vino very little wine;

muy pocos niños very few children;
había poquísimos coches there were hardly any cars
■ pronombre
1 (poca cantidad, poca cosa):

◊ había poco que hacer there was little to do;

por poco que gane … no matter how little o however little she earns …;
se conforma con poco he's easily satisfied;
todo le parece poco she is never satisfied;
pocos quisieron ayudar few were willing to help;
pocos pueden permitirse ese lujo not many people can afford to do that
2

◊ poco ( refiriéndose a tiempo): lo vi hace poco I saw him recently o not long ago;

hace muy poco que lo conoce she hasn't known him for very long;
tardó poco en hacerlo it didn't take him long to do it;
falta poco para las navidades it's not long till Christmas;
a poco de venir él soon o shortly after he came;
dentro de poco soon;
poco antes de que … a short while o shortly before …
3

◊ un poco

a) ( refiriéndose a cantidades) a little;

( refiriéndose a tiempo) a while;

◊ dame un poco I'll have some o a little;

espera un poco wait a while

b)

◊ un poco de a little, a bit of

c) un poco + adj/adv:

◊ un poco caro/tarde a bit o a little expensive/late

4 ( en locs)

◊ a poco (Méx): ¡a poco no está fabuloso Acapulco! isn't Acapulco just fantastic!;

¡a poco ganaron! don't tell me they won!;
de a poco (AmL) gradually, little by little;
poco a poco gradually;
poco más o menos approximately, roughly;
por poco nearly
poco,-a
I adjetivo
1 (con el sustantivo en singular) not much, little: tengo poco apetito, I haven't got much appetite
2 (con el sustantivo en plural) not many, few: conozco pocos lugares de Italia, I don't know many places in Italy
II pron (singular) little, not much
(plural) (objetos) few, not many
(personas) few people, not many people ➣ Ver nota en few
III adverbio
1 (con verbo) not (very) much, little: entiendo poco del tema, I don't understand much about the issue
2 (con adjetivo) not very: está poco claro, it's not very clear
3 (de tiempo) hace poco que nos conocemos, we met a short time ago
IV sustantivo masculino
1 (acompañado de adjetivo o adverbio) lo noté un poco molesto, I thought he was a bit annoyed
tendré que hacerlo un poco después, I'll have to do it a little later
2 (acompañando a un sustantivo) dame un poco de agua, give me a little water ➣ Ver nota en little
♦ Locuciones: a poco de, shortly after
dentro de poco, soon
poco a poco, little by little, gradually
poco antes/después, shortly before/afterwards
por poco, almost
' poco' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
abreviar
- aclimatarse
- adelgazar
- aguantar
- ahora
- alcornoque
- alentador
- alentadora
- algo
- antes
- apercibirse
- bagatela
- baja
- bajo
- brusca
- brusco
- bruta
- bruto
- buscar
- calentar
- cargada
- cargado
- cascada
- cascado
- cerebral
- chapucera
- chapucero
- chispa
- clara
- claro
- común
- cruda
- crudo
- cualquiera
- de
- dentro
- descuidada
- descuidado
- descuidarse
- desigual
- desmoronada
- desmoronado
- despatarrarse
- despistada
- despistado
- despreciable
- después
- desvaído
- disipar
- dudosa
English:
accomplice
- add to
- adjust
- aerial
- after
- afterwards
- along
- aloof
- amateurish
- balding
- bark
- belly
- bit
- black
- blind
- blow up
- boot
- by
- can
- careless
- chat
- comedown
- confusing
- cowboy
- degree
- derivative
- desultory
- disagreement
- disingenuous
- diving
- do
- dodgy
- doubtful
- dowdy
- earthy
- easy-going
- edge
- effect
- element
- evasion
- exist
- expect
- fall apart
- far-fetched
- fine
- flippant
- forge
- furnish
- fuzzy
- gradually

* * *

poco, -a

♦ adj

(singular) little, not much; (plural) few, not many;

de poca importancia of little importance;

poca agua not much water;

pocas personas lo saben few o not many people know it;

hay pocos árboles there aren't many trees;

tenemos poco tiempo we don't have much time;

hace poco tiempo not long ago;

dame unos pocos días give me a few days;

esto ocurre pocas veces this rarely happens, this doesn't happen often;

tengo pocas ganas de ir I don't really o much feel like going;

poca sal me parece que le estás echando I don't think you're putting enough salt in, I think you're putting too little salt in;

con lo poco que le gusta la ópera, y la han invitado a La Traviata it's ironic, considering how she dislikes opera, that they should have invited her to see La Traviata

♦ pron

1. [escasa cantidad] (singular) little, not much;

* * *

poco

I adj sg little, not much; pl few, not many;

un poco de a little;

unos pocos a few

II adv little;

trabaja poco he doesn’t work much;

ahora se ve muy poco it’s seldom seen now;

estuvo poco por aquí he wasn’t around much;

poco conocido little known;

poco a poco little by little;

dentro de poco soon, shortly;

hace poco a short time ago, not long ago;

desde hace poco (for) a short while;

por poco nearly, almost;

¡a poco no lo hacemos! Méx don’t tell me we’re not doing it;

de a poco me fui tranquilizando Rpl little by little I calmed down;

por si fuera poco as if that weren’t o wasn’t enough

III m

:

un poco a little, a bit

* * *

poco adv

1) : little, not much

poco probable: not very likely

come poco: he doesn't eat much

2) : a short time, a while

tardaremos poco: we won't be very long

3)

poco antes : shortly before

4)

poco después : shortly after

poco, -ca adj

1) : little, not much, (a) few

tengo poco dinero: I don't have much money

en no pocas ocasiones: on more than a few occasions

poca gente: few people

2)

pocas veces : rarely

poco, -ca pron

1) : little, few

le falta poco para terminar: he's almost finished

uno de los pocos que quedan: one of the remaining few

2)

un poco : a little, a bit

un poco de vino: a little wine

un poco extraño: a bit strange

3)

a poco Mex (used to express disbelief)

¿a poco no se te hizo difícil?: you mean you didn't find it difficult?

4)

de a poco : little by little

5)

hace poco : not long ago

6)

poco a poco : little by little

7)

dentro de poco : shortly, in a little while

8)

por poco : nearly, almost

* * *

poco¹ adj

1. (singular) not much

hay poco café there's not much coffee

has comido poco arroz you haven't eaten much rice

2. (plural) few / not many

tiene pocos amigos he has few friends / he hasn't got many friends

muy poco very little

hay muy poco té there's very little tea

poco² adv

1. (con verbos) not much

trabaja poco he doesn't work much

2. (no mucho tiempo) not long

estuve con él hace poco I was with him not long ago

llegó poco después she arrived not long after

3. (con adjetivos) not very

es poco simpática she's not very friendly

poco a poco little by little

por poco nearly

por poco se cae he nearly fell

por poco pierdo el tren I nearly missed the train

poco³ n a little / a bit

un poco de pan a bit of bread

un poco de agua a little water

tengo de sobra, toma un poco I've got plenty, take a little

poco⁴ pron

1. (singular) not much

compra café, que queda muy poco buy some coffee, there's not much left

2. (plural) few / not many

¿cuántos vinieron? pocos how many came? not many

1. pron. 2. conj. I II claro 2., 4) bendición 2), primor 2) I II I II

Ex: Before examining the two main means of constructing classification schedules it is as well to consider what the objective of the designer of a classification scheme should be.

Ex: There are a number of features of a catalogue or index which benefit from some standardisation.

Ex: There are a number of features of a catalogue or index which benefit from some standardisation.

Ex: This started in 1980, and has around forty members who receive some support to cover telephone charges.

Ex: The (F) operator specifies that terms must be in the same field of the same record, in any order.

* ¿para qué sirve... ? = what's the use of... ?.

* ¿qué sentido tiene = what is/was the point of...?.

* dar de qué hablar = raise + eyebrows, fuel + rumours, give + rise to rumours.

* dar que hablar = fuel + rumours, give + rise to rumours.

* de los que = whereof.

* de qué se trata = what it's all about.

* el problema no es el qué, sino el cómo = the devil (is/lives) in the details.

* el que = the one.

* el que no se aventura no cruza el mar = nothing ventured, nothing gained.

* en qué momento = at what point.

* en qué punto = at what point.

* hasta qué punto = the extent to which.

* la que = the one.

* lo que es más = what's more.

* más... que... = more... than....

* menos... que... = less... than....

* no saber qué hacer = be at a nonplus.

* o qué sé yo = or whatever.

* por qué = why.

* puesto que = for.

* que abarca = girdling.

* que actúa de apoyo = supporting.

* que actúa de soporte = supporting.

* que afecta a = surrounding.

* que afecta a toda la empresa = enterprise-wide.

* que afecta a toda la sociedad = culture-wide.

* que afecta a todas las culturas = culture-wide.

* que afecta a varias generaciones = cross-generational.

* que ahorran dinero = dollar-saving.

* que amplia los horizontes = expansive.

* que apoya moralmente = supportive.

* que aquí presentamos = present.

* que arde lentamente = smouldering [smoldering, -USA].

* que atraviesa la ciudad = cross-town.

* que avanza lentamente = crawling.

* que avanza rápidamente = fast-moving, fast-developing.

* que ayuda a recordar = memory-jogging.

* que ayuda a refrescar la memoria = memory-jogging.

* que baja los humos = humbling.

* que bate todos los récords = record breaking.

* que bota bien = bouncy [bouncier -comp., bounciest -sup.].

* que busca el beneficio propio = self-serving.

* que cambia con el tiempo = ever-changing [ever changing], time-variant, ever-shifting.

* que cambia la vida = life-changing, life-altering.

* que cambia rápidamente = rapid-fire.

* que combina diferentes enseñanzas = multi-track [multitrack].

* que combina diferentes tipos de recursos = multi-source [multi source].

* que concede becas = grant-making.

* que concede subsidios = grant-making.

* que concierne a = surrounding.

* que confiere cierto estatus social = status-conferring.

* que confunde = confounding.

* que conlleva = attendant, associated with.

* que conserva su encanto natural = unspoilt [unspoiled, -USA].

* que conserva su estado natural = unspoilt [unspoiled, -USA].

* que consta de tres puntos = three-point.

* que constituye un reto = challenging.

* que consume mucha CPU = CPU intensive.

* que consume mucha energía = energy-intensive, power-hungry.

* que consume tiempo = time-consuming [time consuming].

* que contengan los caracteres = hit by.

* que contiene = therein.

* que contiene muchas imágenes = image intensive.

* que contribuye a la predisposición = predisposing.

* que coocurre = co-occurring.

* que corroe por dentro = gnawing.

* que crea adicción = addictive.

* que crea hábito = addictive.

* que crece despacio = slowly growing.

* que crece hacia dentro = ingrown.

* que cruza fronteras = boundary spanning.

* que cubre hasta la rodilla = knee deep.

* que cubre hasta los tobillos = ankle deep.

* que cubre todo el cuerpo = head to toe.

* que cuelga = hanging.

* que cumple los requisitos = qualifying.

* que da agua = leaking, leaky [leakier -comp., leakiest -sup].

* que da miedo = scary [scarier -comp., scariest -sup.].

* que da que pensar = sobering.

* que da susto = scary [scarier -comp., scariest -sup.].

* que da vida = life-giving.

* que deja mucho al azar = hit-or-miss.

* ¿qué demonios...? = what on (this) earth...?.

* ¿qué demonios...? = What the heck...?.

* que demuestra desequilibrio de carácter = off-balance.

* que depende del tiempo = time-dependent.

* que desee(n) = of + Posesivo + choice, of + Posesivo + choosing.

* que desempata = tie-breaking [tiebreaking].

* ¿qué diablos...? = Heck!, What the heck...?.

* que diferencia entre mayúscula y minúscula = case-sensitive.

* que distingue entre mayúscula y minúscula = case-sensitive.

* que distrae la atención = distracting.

* que dura todo el año = year-round.

* que el agua disuelve = water-fugitive.

* ¿qué elegir? = which way to go?.

* que encompasa = girdling.

* que entran en juego = at play.

* que era común anteriormente = once-common.

* qué es cada cosa = what is what.

* que escapan a + Posesivo + control = beyond + Posesivo + control.

* que escuece = itchy [itchier -comp., itchiest -sup.].

* que espera demasiado = over expectant.

* que está creciendo = growing.

* que está en constante evolución = ever-evolving.

* que están apareciendo = emerging.

* que estrope el paisaje = eyesore.

* que exalta los ánimos = inflammatory.

* que excede + Cantidad = in excess of + Cantidad.

* que expresa dos puntos de vista opuestos = bipolar [bi-polar].

* que falta = missing.

* que faltan = wanting.

* que florece en primavera = spring-flowering.

* ¡qué follón! = what a palaver!.

* que fomenta = conducive (to).

* que forma parte de la cultura = culturally-embedded.

* que fue = one-time.

* que fue común antes = once-common.

* que fuera = once.

* que fuerza los músculos = muscle-straining.

* que funciona = working.

* que funciona a base de órdenes = command-driven.

* que funciona con electricidad = electrically-powered, electrically-operated.

* que funciona con energía eólica = wind-powered.

* que funciona con monedas = coin-operated, coin-op.

* que funciona con pilas = battery-operated, battery-powered.

* que funciona con vapor = steam-powered.

* que funciona manualmente = manually operated.

* ¡que gane el mejor! = may the best man win!, may the best man win!.

* que genera polémica = confrontational.

* que gotea = leaky [leakier -comp., leakiest -sup], leaking.

* que guarde relación con = in keeping with.

* que habla bien = elocuted.

* que habla en voz baja = quietly spoken.

* que hace entrar en calor = warming, warming.

* que hace época = epoch-making.

* que hace historia = history-making.

* que hace la boca agua = mouth-watering.

* qué hacer con (algo) = disposition, disposition.

* que hacer reflexionar = provocative of.

* ¿Qué ha dicho? = I beg your pardon?.

* que ha sobrevivido = surviving.

* que hay que dar muchas vueltas = circuitous.

* que hay que dedicarle mucho tiempo = time-intensive.

* que hizo época = epochal.

* que huele a lugar cerrado = fusty.

* que incita a la reflexión = provocative of.

* que induce a confusión = confounding.

* que intervienen = at play.

* que intimida = forbidding.

* que invita a la reflexión = thought-provoking.

* ¡qué jaleo! = what a palaver!.

* ¡qué lástima! = what a pity!, what a pity!.

* que le afecta a todo = crosscutting [cross cutting].

* que le gusta arriesgarse = risk-taking.

* que le gusta la mecánica = mechanically minded.

* que le presta gran importancia a la cultura = culture-conscious.

* que levanta el ánimo = uplifting.

* que levanta el espíritu = uplifting.

* ¡qué lío! = what a palaver!.

* que llega = incoming.

* que llega hasta la cintura = waist high, waist deep, waist length.

* que llega hasta los hombres = shoulder-length.

* que lleva tiempo en cartelera = long-running.

* que lo abarca todo = all-embracing.

* que lo hace uno mismo = do-it-yourself (DIY).

* que lo incluye todo = all-embracing.

* que marca época = landmark.

* que marca un hito = epoch-making.

* qué más = what else.

* qué me dices de... = what about....

* que mejora el estatus social = status-enhancing.

* que mejora la calidad de vida = life-enhancing.

* que merece la pena = worthwhile.

* que mezcla sensaciones = synesthetic, cross-sensory.

* que mira al sur = south facing.

* que nace de = born out of.

* ¿qué narices...? = What the heck...?.

* que necesita bastante dedicación de personal = labour-intensive [labour intensive], staff-intensive [staff intensive].

* que necesita bastante mano de obra = labour-intensive [labour intensive].

* que necesita de un trabajo intelectual previo = knowledge-intensive.

* que necesita la información = information-dependent.

* que ni ama ni es amado = loveless.

* que no absorbe el agua o la humedad = non-hygroscopic.

* que no admite reserva = unreserved.

* que no ajusta bien = ill-fitting.

* que no aparece en primer lugar = nonfirst [non-first].

* que no ayuda a distinguir = nondistinctive.

* que no causa dolor = painless.

* que no cierra bien = leaky [leakier -comp., leakiest -sup], leaking.

* que no conduce a nada = circuitous.

* que no cuadra = unreconciled.

* que no da más de sí = overstretched.

* que no daña el medio ambiente = environmentally friendly, environmentally sound, eco-friendly.

* que no desaparece = lingering.

* que no es de fiar = untrustworthy.

* que no es de la India = non-Indic.

* que no es libro de texto = non-textbook.

* que no está en papel = non-paper [non paper].

* que no es texto = non-text.

* que no excluye otras posibilidades = non-exclusive.

* que no fuma = non-smoking.

* que no haya noticias es buena señal = no news is good news.

* que no llama la atención = inconspicuous.

* que no ofrece doctorado = non-doctoral granting.

* que no perdona = unforgiving.

* que no perjudica el medio ambiente = environmentally friendly, environmentally sound.

* que no perjudica el medio ambiente = eco-friendly.

* que no pertenece a una confesión religiosa concreta = nondenominational [non-denominational].

* que no pertenece a un sindicato = non-unionised.

* que no posee ninguna conexión = disjoint.

* que no queda bien = ill-fitting.

* que no recibe enseñanza formal = out-of-school.

* que no representa reto = unchallenging.

* que no sea(n) = other than.

* que no se hace añicos = shatterproof.

* que no se ha cuestionado = unquestioned, unscrutinised [unscrutinized, -USA].

* que no se ha puesto en duda = unquestioned, unscrutinised [unscrutinized, -USA].

* que no se le puede dar un nombre = unnameable.

* que no se puede comparar = incomparable.

* que no se puede conseguir = unobtainable.

* que no se puede entregar = undeliverable.

* que no se puede hacer cumplir = unenforceable.

* que no se puede identificar con un término = unnameable.

* que no se puede sacar en préstamo = non-circulating [noncirculating].

* que no se puede uno perder = unmissable.

* que no se rompe en mil pedazos = shatterproof.

* que no se utiliza = unused.

* que nos rodea = ambient.

* que no tiene compensación = non-compensatory [noncompensatory].

* que no tienen que rendir cuentas a nadie = unaccountable.

* que no tiene precio = priceless.

* que no tiene que ver con el tema debatido = off-topic.

* que no viene a cuento = off-topic.

* que obstruye = obstructive.

* que ocupa la mejor posición = best-positioned.

* que ocupa mucho espacio = space-consuming.

* que ocupa poco espacio = space-saving.

* que ocupa un puesto de mayor responsabilidad = senior.

* ¿qué ocurre si... ? = what if... ?.

* qué otra cosa = what else.

* que padece de cólicos = colicky newborn.

* que padece de peritonitis = peritonitic.

* ¡qué palabras son esas! = watch your language!.

* que parece dudoso = dubious-sounding.

* que parece sospechoso = dubious-sounding.

* que participan = at play.

* ¿Qué pasa? = What's up?, What's up?.

* que pasaba = passing.

* que pasa de + Cantidad = in excess of + Cantidad.

* que pasa desapercibido = inconspicuous, unobserved.

* que pasa inadvertido = inconspicuous.

* ¿qué pasará a continuación? = What's next?, What's next?, What next?, What next?.

* que pase lo que tenga que pasar = que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, what's meant to be, will be.

* que pela = piping hot, baking hot.

* que perdura = lingering.

* que permite desarrollar menús de consulta = menu-making.

* que pica = itchy [itchier -comp., itchiest -sup.].

* que pierde agua = leaking, leaky [leakier -comp., leakiest -sup].

* que pincha = stubbly [stubblier -comp., stubbliest -sup.].

* qué poco común = how odd.

* que pone a Uno en su sitio = humbling.

* que pone la vida en peligro = life threatening.

* que pone obstáculos = obstructive.

* que prefiere(n) = of + Posesivo + choosing, of + Posesivo + choice.

* que procede del exterior = inbound.

* que produce ansiedad = anxiety-producing.

* que progresa rápidamente = fast-moving.

* que + Pronombre + recordar = to the best of + Posesivo + recollection.

* que puede causar detención = arrestable.

* que puede demostrarse = demonstrably.

* que puede salir en préstamo = loanable.

* que puede ser apilado = stacking.

* que puede ser usado a través de la web = web-compliant.

* que puede volver a cerrarse herméticamente = resealable.

* que queda = left-over [left over], surviving.

* que queda mal = ill-fitting.

* que quede entre nosotros = between you and me, between ourselves.

* que quiere(n) = of + Posesivo + choosing, of + Posesivo + choice.

* ¡qué raro! = how strange!.

* que raya = jarring.

* que rebota bien = bouncy [bouncier -comp., bounciest -sup.].

* que reduce el estrés = stress-reducing.

* que resulta irreconocible = out of all recognition.

* que retiene el calor = heat absorbing.

* que reúne las condiciones = qualified.

* que rodea = surrounding.

* ¡qué rollo macabeo! = what a palaver!.

* que rompe la armonía = eyesore.

* que sabe lo que = who knows what.

* que sale de = off.

* que se abrocha por atrás = back-buttoning.

* que se acerca = oncoming.

* que se acumula = accruable.

* que se alaba a uno mismo = self-congratulatory.

* que se alquila = rentable.

* que se aproxima = oncoming.

* que se atiene a una norma = compliant (with).

* que se autoperpetúa = self-perpetuating.

* que se avecina = oncoming.

* que se carga por la boca = muzzle-loading.

* que se coloca en lo alto del televisor = set-top.

* que se compra = priced.

* que se concede en función de las necesidades económicas = means-tested.

* que se congratula a sí mismo = self-congratulating.

* que se contradice a sí mismo = self-contradicting.

* que se cuentan por millones = numbered in millions.

* que se denomina a si mismo = self-proclaimed.

* que se derrama = overflowing.

* que se derrite en la boca = mellow [mellower -comp., mellowest -sup.].

* que se desarrollan = at play.

* que se descompone en migajas = crumby.

* que se desmenuza fácilmente = crumbly [crumblier -comp., crumbliest -sup.].

* que se desmigaja fácilmente = crumbly [crumblier -comp., crumbliest -sup.].

* que se encuentra en la naturaleza = naturally-occurring.

* que se enrolla = roll-up [rollup].

* que se entrecruzan = intertwined.

* que se está desarrollando = evolving.

* que se está descascarillando = flaking.

* que se está desintegrando = crumbling, disintegrating.

* que se está examinando = under review.

* que se está hundiendo = sinking.

* que se está investigando = under investigation.

* que se está pelando = flaking.

* que se explica por sí mismo = self-explanatory [self explanatory/selfexplanatory].

* que se expresa bien = articulate.

* que se gestiona a sí mismo = self-managed.

* que se guía por sí mismo = self-guiding.

* que se inicie la contienda = let battle commence.

* que se le puede dar un nombre = nameable.

* que se lleva gestando hace tiempo = long-simmering.

* (que se menciona) a continuación = below.

* que se necesita urgentemente = sorely needed.

* que se organiza a sí mismo = self-organising [self-organizing, -USA].

* que se percibe desde hace mucho tiempo = long-felt.

* que se piensa = perceived.

* que se puede aplicar a rajatabla = hard and fast, ironclad [iron-clad].

* que se puede arreglar = fixable.

* que se puede buscar = searchable.

* que se puede cambiar de tamaño = resizeable [re-sizeable].

* que se puede clasificar = classifiable.

* que se puede compartir = shareable.

* que se puede conocer = knowable.

* que se puede consultar = queriable.

* que se puede contestar = answerable.

* que se puede copiar = downloadable.

* que se puede distribuir = redistributable.

* que se puede enviar = deliverable.

* que se puede escuchar = playable.

* que se puede especificar = specifiable.

* que se puede evitar = avoidable.

* que se puede hacer cumplir = enforceable.

* que se puede identicar con un término = nameable.

* que se puede imprimir = printable.

* que se puede lavar con lejía = bleachable.

* que se puede obtener = obtainable.

* que se puede quitar = detachable, removable.

* que se puede reservar = bookable.

* que se puede responder = answerable.

* que se puede separar = detachable.

* que se recuerde = in living memory.

* que se repite = repetitious.

* que se repite una y otra vez = recurring.

* que se solapan = overlapping.

* que se toma las cosas con calma = laid-back.

* que se vende = priced.

* que siempre va a la última moda = fashion-conscious.

* que sienta precedente = landmark.

* que sigue = ensuing.

* que sigue la última moda = fashion-conscious.

* que sigue una norma = compliant (with).

* que siguió = ensuing.

* ¿qué si no...? = what else but...?.

* que sobrepasa + Cantidad = in excess of + Cantidad.

* que sobresale = protruding.

* que sólo se hace una vez = once-off.

* que suena = ringing.

* ¡Qué suerte! = What luck!, What luck!.

* que supone = associated with.

* que surge de = born out of.

* qué te parece que... = what about....

* que tiene el cenizo = jinxed.

* que tiene el gafe = jinxed.

* que tiene lugar una vez a la semana = once-weekly.

* que tiene precio = priced.

* que tiene sentido = meaningful.

* que trabaja desde casa = home-based.

* que trabajan para él = in its employ.

* que transmite información = information-bearing.

* que trata de = surrounding.

* que tuvo lugar a continuación = ensuing.

* que uno sigue a su propio ritmo = self-paced, self-guided.

* que usa el estándar MIME = MIME-compliant.

* que utiliza el tiempo como variable = time-dependent.

* que utiliza muchos recursos = resource-intensive.

* que vale la pena = worthwhile.

* que van dirigidos hacia el exterior = outbound.

* ¡qué verdad que es! = how true!.

* que viene = incoming, next + Expresión Temporal.

* que viene de largo = long-running.

* que viene el lobo = crying wolf.

* que vuela bajo = low-flying.

* ¡que + Pronombre + zurcir! = be damned!.

* quién sabe lo que = who knows what.

* quién sabe qué = who knows what.

* sin importar qué = no matter what/which.

* sin saber qué decir = nonplussed [nonplused].

* tal que = such that.

* un no sé qué = a je ne sais quoi.

* ¿Y ahora qué? = What's next?, What next?.

* ya que = for, in that.

* y Dios sabe qué más = and Heaven knows what else.

 

Multiple Entries:
que    
qué
que conjunción
1 ( oraciones subordinadas)


estoy seguro de que vendrá I'm sure (that) she'll come;
¿cuántos años crees que tiene? how old do you think she is?;
eso de que estaba enfermo es mentira (fam) this business about him being ill is a lie;
quiero que vengas I want you to come;
dice que no vayas she says you're not to go;
es importante que quede claro it's important that it should be clear;
sería una lástima que no vinieras it would be a shame if you didn't come


es que no tengo dinero the trouble is I don't have any money
2


¡que se diviertan! have a good time!;
ver tb ir v aux 2


¡que no! I said no!


¿cómo que no vas a ir? what do you mean, you're not going?


y aquí llueve que llueve and over here it just rains and rains
3 ( introduciendo una consecuencia) that;

4 ( en comparaciones):

tengo la misma edad que tú I'm the same age as you
5 (fam) ( en oraciones condicionales) if;

■ pronombre
1 ( refiriéndose a personas)


es la que manda aquí she's the one who gives the orders here


las chicas que entrevistamos the girls (that o who) we interviewed;
el único al que no le han pagado the only one who hasn't been paid;
la persona de la que te hablé the person (that o who) I spoke to you about
2 (refiriéndose a cosas, asuntos, etc)


eso es lo que me preocupa that's what worries me


la casa en que vivo the house (that) I live in;
¿sabes lo difícil que fue? do you know how hard it was?;
ver tb lo art 2 b
qué pronombre
1 ( interrogativo)


¿y que? so what?;
¿de que habló? what did she talk about?;
¿sabes que? you know what o something?;
no sé que hacer I don't know what to do




¿que es de tu vida? how's life?
2 ( en exclamaciones):

ver tb ir V 1
■ adjetivo
1 ( interrogativo) what, which;

2 ( en exclamaciones) what;

■ adverbio:

¡que inteligente eres! aren't you clever!;
¡que bien (que) se está aquí! it's so nice here!;
¡que bien! great!, good!
que
I pron rel
1 (de persona) (como sujeto) who: la mujer que vendió el coche, the woman who sold the car
(como objeto de relativo) who, frml whom: su esposa, a la que admiraba, era muy amable, his wife, whom I admired, was very kind
la niña con la que juega, the girl (that o who o se omite) she plays with
el hombre del que hablé, the man of whom I spoke
2 (de cosa) (como sujeto) that, which
lo que, what: esto es lo que ocurrió, this is what happened
la casa que se incendió, the house (which o that) was burned down
(como complemento) el reloj que compró, the watch (which o that) he bought
la casa en la que vive ahora, the house where he lives now
II conj
1 (introducción de sujeto o complemento) (se omite o that) creo que va a llover, I think (that) it's going to rain
2 (expresión de deseo, mandato, etc) (se omite) que tengas un buen día, have a nice day
3 (consecución) (se omite o that) hacía tanto frío que me quedé en casa, it was so cold (that) I stayed at home
4 (comparación) than: su coche es mejor que el mío, his car is better than mine
5 (condicional) yo que tú iría, if I were you, I would go
6 (uso enfático) que sí, que iré al cine contigo, of course I'll go to the cinema with you
qué
I adjetivo
1 (pron interrogativo) what, which: ¿qué has comprado?, what have you bought?
¿qué color prefieres?, which colour do you prefer?
2 (pron excl) what, how: ¡qué de gente!, what a lot of people!
¡qué suerte tienes! how lucky you are!
¡qué vergüenza!, what a disgrace!
II adv excl so: ¡qué buenas que son!, they are so good!

' que' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
A
- abalanzarse
- abandonar
- abarcar
- abaratarse
- ablandar
- abonarse
- abrir
- abreviar
- abrirse
- absoluta
- absolutamente
- absoluto
- abundar
- aburrida
- aburrido
- aburrimiento
- acabar
- acabose
- acaparador
- acaparadora
- acariciar
- acarrear
- acercarse
- acholada
- acholado
- achuchar
- aclimatarse
- acompañar
- acopio
- actuación
- actual
- actualizar
- acuerdo
- adelante
- adelgazar
- adentro
- adicta
- adicto
- adivinar
- administración
- admitir
- adorno
- advertir
- aferrarse
- afín
- aflojar
- agradar
- agrado
- aguatera
English:
A
- aback
- ablaze
- abortion
- about
- absent
- accept
- acceptable
- accordance
- account
- account for
- accountable
- accustom
- acknowledge
- action
- actual
- actually
- ad-lib
- adapt
- add on
- address
- adjust
- admit
- admittedly
- advise
- affirmative
- afraid
- afresh
- after
- agenda
- agree
- ahead
- aid
- alive
- all
- allege
- allow
- allow for
- allowance
- alone
- aloud
- alphabetically
- already
- also
- alter
- alternative
- ambit
- amenities
- amicable
- amiss
[cosa] that, which; [cosa] that, which; Fam