he's not very natural

'næ ərəl
1. adjective
2. noun - naturally
- natural gas
- natural history
- natural resources


natural adjetivo 1 ‹ fruta› fresh; 2 3 (frml) ( nativo) ser natural de to be a native of, to come from ■ sustantivo masculino
natural
I adjetivo
1 natural: es una persona muy natural, he's a very natural person (no artificial, fresco) fresh: es una rosa natural, it's a fresh rose
a tamaño natural, life-size
2 (normal, lógico) me parece natural, it seems natural to me
3 (nativo) soy natural de Castilla, I come from Castilla
4 Mat natural
II sustantivo masculino
1 (temperamento, inclinación) nature
2 Arte life: lo pintó del natural, he painted it from life
III mf (oriundo) native ' natural' also found in these entries: Spanish: canal - cien - cruda - crudo - día - emanación - expolio - hijo - limonada - lógica - lógico - luz - mirador - muerte - nata - nato - reserva - sencilla - sencillo - sobrexplotación - tamaña - tamaño - turba - anfiteatro - café - cataclismo - en - franco - gruta - llano - museo - naturalidad - naturismo - naturista - pantano - parque - recurso - riqueza - siniestro English: border - born - curl - designate - fair - full-scale - hail - life - life-size - life-sized - lifelike - mention - native - natural - natural childbirth - naturally - nature reserve - nature trail - plain - process - reserve - successor - sunlight - unaffected - unnatural - unnaturally - unspoilt - wear - wild - wildlife park - die - dry - effortless - environment - flair - full - good - may - might - nature - pond - resource - should - unspoiled - wastage - wilderness
I 'nætʃrəl
II

III
['nætʃrǝl] die I, 1)
I ['nætʃrəl]
II

III

ˈnætʃrəl
1. прил.
1) а) естественный, природный natural resources natural weapons - natural selection natural phenomena natural day die a natural death the term of one's natural life for the rest of one's natural life natural power natural law Syn: normal б) настоящий, натуральный, неискусственный;
обычный, обыкновенный natural flowers natural teeth natural gas Ant: artificial;
marvellous в) дикий, некультивированный natural growth natural steel г) присущий, врожденный with the bravery natural to him ≈ с присущей ему храбростью She has a natural ability to understand the motives of others. ≈ У нее была врожденная способность понимать причины поведения других людей. natural frequency Syn: innate Ant: acquired
2) а) обычный, нормальный;
понятный That comes natural to me. ≈ Для меня это естественно. It's natural to want a nice car. ≈ Желание иметь хороший автомобиль - вполне естественное. It's perfectly natural that children love ice cream. ≈ Совершенно нормально, что дети любят мороженое. б) естественный, непринужденный He is a very natural person. ≈ Он очень непосредственный человек. come natural to one
3) естественный, относящийся к естествознанию natural philosopher - natural history - natural philosophy natural dialectics
4) а) ист. и уст. свой, неусыновленный;
рожденный в браке б) внебрачный, незаконнорожденный, побочный Syn: illegitimate, bastard
5) мат. натуральный - natural logarithm - natural number
2. сущ.
1) а) что-л. естественное б) у негров: вид прически, оставляющий волосы в первозданном виде
2) а) одаренный человек, самородок б) идиот от рождения;
дурачок, предмет издевательств
3) а) разг. самое подходящее, то, что нужно (для чего-л., в частности, о человеке) He is a natural for art. ≈ Он создан для искусства. He is a natural with any kind of engine. ≈ Он легко обращается с любыми механизмами. She proved to be a natural on camera. ≈ Она продемонстрировала умение держать себя естественно и непринужденно перед камерой. б) карт. в игре в очко: двадцать одно, сданное в первых двух картах;
в других азартных играх: любая комбинация, дающая сразу окончательный выигрыш, тж. перен.
4) а) муз. скрипичный ключ, ключ С б) муз. бекар (знак и связанные с ним действия) в) муз. белая клавиша( на любом клавишном инструменте)
5) редк. гениталии (также мн.) Any female with the desire of fulfilling the functions of her natural. ≈ (Дж. Джойс, "Улисс",)
6) археол. фундамент, пласт, лежащий под культурным слоем ∙ it's a natural! ≈ превосходно! кретин, идиот ( от рождения) - she is not quite a * она не круглая идиотка (разговорное) подходящий( для чего-л.) человек - Bob is a * for this job Боб как будто создан для этой работы( разговорное) самое подходящее - this job's a * for Jim эта работа как раз по Джиму - it's a *! превосходно!, как раз то, что нужно! (сленг) жизнь, земное существование - in all my * за всю (свою) жизнь (музыкальное) бекар (американизм) африканская прическа (без выпрямления и окраски волос) (американизм) "афро", прическа "под африканца";
высокая прическа из мелких завитков естественный, природный - * forces силы природы - * grandeur and beauty величие и красота природы - * resourses природные богатства /ресурсы/ - * gas природный газ - * radioactivity естественная радиоактивность - * harbour естественная гавань - * day сутки - * weapons естественное оружие( кулаки, зубы) - * death естественная смерть - * year тропический год - * number (математика) натуральное число - * cover( военное) естественное укрытие - * seeding самосев, естественное обсеменение( о растениях) - * infancy (юридическое) детство( до 7 лет) - * loss /wastage/ (коммерческое) естественная убыль (усушка, утечка и т. п.) - * horizon (авиация) видимый горизонт - the * cause of a seeming miracle естественно-научное обьяснение кажущегося чуда - * economy натуральное хозяйство - animals living in their * state животные в естественных условиях земной, физический - * life земное существование - the * world этот свет, земное существование - imprisonment for the term of one's * life (юридическое) пожизненное заключение настоящий, натуральный - * wool натуральная шерсть - * flowers живые цветы - * teeth свои зубы - * complexion естественный цвет лица( без косметики) - * portrait портрет, точно передающий сходство;
как живой - * scale( специальное) натуральная величина, масштаб 1:1 - * weight( коммерческое) натуральный вес( зерна) естественный, относящийся к естествознанию - * dialectics диалектика природы - * historian натуралист - * philosophy( устаревшее) физика;
натурфилософия;
философия природы обычный, нормальный;
понятный - * mistake понятная /естественная/ ошибка - it is * for a baby to cry if it is hungry вполне понятно /естественно, нормально/, что ребенок плачет, когда он голоден дикий, некультивированный - * growth дикая растительность - * state первобытное состояние - the * man человек, каким его создала природа;
(философское) естественный человек необработанный, не подвергшийся обработке - * steel незакаленная сталь врожденный, присущий - * gift врожденный дар - * linguist человек с врожденными способностями к языкам - * оrator прирожденный оратор - * fool дурак( от рождения) - with his * modesty со свойственной ему скромностью - it is * for a duck to swim утка обладает врожденными умением плавать непринужденный, естественный - it comes * to him это получается у него естественно /само собой/;
это ему дается легко - it was a very * piece of acting актер играл очень естественно /правдиво/ побочный, внебрачный - his * son его побочный сын - her * brother ее побочный брат, побочный сын ее отца ( американизм) в стиле "афро" (о прическе) (геология) материнский - * rock материнская порода - * ground материк( физическое) собственный - * frequency собственная частота - * vibration собственные колебания ~ естественный, природный;
to die a natural death умереть естественной смертью;
the term of one's natural life вся жизнь for the rest of one's ~ (life) до конца своих дней;
natural power силы природы ~ разг. самое подходящее;
самый подходящий человек (для чего-л.) ;
he is a natural for art он создан для искусства it comes ~ to him это легко ему дается;
he is a very natural person он очень непосредственный человек it comes ~ to him это легко ему дается;
he is a very natural person он очень непосредственный человек it comes ~ to him это получается у него естественно natural муз. бекар, знак бекара;
it's a natural! превосходно! natural муз. бекар, знак бекара;
it's a natural! превосходно! ~ внебрачный, незаконнорожденный;
natural child внебрачный ребенок;
natural son побочный сын ~ дикий, некультивированный;
natural growth дикая растительность;
natural steel незакаленная сталь ~ естественный, относящийся к естествознанию;
natural history естественная история ~ естественный, природный;
to die a natural death умереть естественной смертью;
the term of one's natural life вся жизнь ~ естественный ~ идиот от рождения;
дурачок ~ муз. ключ С ~ настоящий, натуральный;
natural flowers живые цветы;
natural teeth "свои" зубы ~ настоящий ~ натуральный ~ непринужденный, естественный ~ обычный, нормальный;
понятный;
natural mistake понятная, естественная ошибка ~ обычный ~ одаренный человек, самородок ~ понятный ~ природный ~ присущий;
врожденный;
with the bravery natural to him с присущей ему храбростью ~ разг. самое подходящее;
самый подходящий человек (для чего-л.) ;
he is a natural for art он создан для искусства ~ самородный ~ philosophy физика;
natural philosopher физик;
естествоиспытатель;
natural dialectics диалектика природы ~ настоящий, натуральный;
natural flowers живые цветы;
natural teeth "свои" зубы ~ дикий, некультивированный;
natural growth дикая растительность;
natural steel незакаленная сталь ~ естественный, относящийся к естествознанию;
natural history естественная история ~ обычный, нормальный;
понятный;
natural mistake понятная, естественная ошибка ~ selection биол. естественный отбор;
natural phenomena явления природы ~ philosophy физика;
natural philosopher физик;
естествоиспытатель;
natural dialectics диалектика природы philosopher: philosopher философ;
natural philosopher физик;
естествоиспытатель;
philosophers, stone философский камень ~ philosophy физика;
natural philosopher физик;
естествоиспытатель;
natural dialectics диалектика природы for the rest of one's ~ (life) до конца своих дней;
natural power силы природы ~ resources природные богатства;
natural weapons естественное оружие (кулаки, зубы и т. п.) resource: ~ (обыкн. pl) ресурсы, средства, запасы;
natural resources природные богатства resources: natural ~ природные ресурсы ~ selection биол. естественный отбор;
natural phenomena явления природы ~ внебрачный, незаконнорожденный;
natural child внебрачный ребенок;
natural son побочный сын ~ дикий, некультивированный;
natural growth дикая растительность;
natural steel незакаленная сталь ~ настоящий, натуральный;
natural flowers живые цветы;
natural teeth "свои" зубы ~ resources природные богатства;
natural weapons естественное оружие (кулаки, зубы и т. п.) ~ естественный, природный;
to die a natural death умереть естественной смертью;
the term of one's natural life вся жизнь ~ присущий;
врожденный;
with the bravery natural to him с присущей ему храбростью

عَادِيّ \ average: usual; neither good nor bad: He has an average singing voice. common: usual; often heard or seen; happening often: a common flower; a common saying; a common event. familiar: (of sights and sounds) well known; often seen or heard: a familiar face. habitual: usual; customary; continual: She gave her habitual greeting. mediocre: of poor quality, but not actually bad; not as good as it ought to be: mediocre work. natural: usual; expected: It is not natural for anyone to live alone. normal: usual; regular: What are your normal working hours? I normally get up at 7 o’clock. ordinary: usual: not special; not strange: my ordinary duties; an ordinary person. plain: simple; of the usual kind; without ornament: in plain English (not using fancy language); plain paper (without lines); a plain blue dress (with no ornament or other colour on it); in plain clothes (not in uniform), (of people) not good-looking He was a nice boy, but rather plain and not very clever. standard: usual; not special; acting as a standard: a standard pattern; a standard size. staple: (of crops, produce, etc.) usual; main: Rice is the staple food of some countrie. usual: customary: He arrived at the usual time, but she was later than usual (than she was at most times). \ See Also معتاد (مُعْتَاد)، مألوف (مَأْلوف)، رئيسي (رئيسيّ)‏

1. [ʹnætʃ(ə)rəl] n 2. [ʹnætʃ(ə)rəl] a

[not] [nɒt]

•• Not ready for prime time: Usable, but only just so; not very robust; for internal use only. Said of a program or device. <...> This term comes from the ensemble name of the original cast of “ Saturday Night Live,” the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.”
•• Действительно, это выражение часто используется в материалах по компьютерной тематике. Например:
•• Web Services: Not Ready for Prime Time <...> had sound and X-server config problems – again, on the desktop, not ready for prime time.
•• Но оно все чаще встречается и в других контекстах. Вот заголовок статьи о новом подсластителе:
•• Stevia: Not Ready For Prime Time. More Research Needed To Answer Safety Questions About “ Natural” Sweetener.
•• И, наконец, проникновение в политическую лексику, отмеченное выше.
•• Еще пример – заголовок полемической статьи о кандидате на пост губернатора одного из штатов:
•• Candidate Not Ready for Prime Time. И далее в тексте: It has become clear that she is not ready to govern the state.
•• В технических текстах перевести это выражение можно при помощи русского довести до ума ( новое изделие еще нужно довести до ума или просто нуждается в доводке). В заголовке Linux in China: Not Ready for Prime Time подойдет условия еще не созрели. Не созрели хорошо и в политическом контексте, но иногда придется добавить косвенное дополнение. В первом примере: Возможно, иракцы еще не созрели для демократии. В последнем: Кандидат еще не созрел можно добавить для большой политики.

1. деградация природных ресурсов

    cum or (earlier) quom (not quum) conj.    [1 CA-].    I. Prop., of time (cum temporale), constr. with indic. in an independent assertion; with subj. in a subordinate statement.—Fixing a point of time, when, at the time when: Lacrumo, quom in mentem venit, now that, T.: auditis, cum ea breviter dicuntur: eo cum venio: Postera cum lustrabat terras dies, V.: cum contionem habuit: cum proxime Romae fui: cum Italia vexata est: cum stellas fugarat dies, V.: quom non potest haberi, cupis, T.: tempus cum pater iacebat: eo tempore, cum necesse erat: memini noctis illius, cum pollicebar: tunc, cum adempta sunt arma, L.: etiam tum, cum verisimile erit, latratote, not until: cum peroraro, tum requiratis: cum signum dedero, tum invadite, L.: sese, cum opus esset, signum daturum, Cs.: sua bona, cum causae dicendae data facultas sit, tum se experturum, L. — Fixing or defining a period of time, when, while, during the time that, as, as long as, after: Alium esse censes nunc me, atque olim quom dabam? T.: risum vix tenebam, cum comparabas, etc.: tum, cum illum exterminari volebam, putabam, etc.: Hasdrubal, cum haec gerebantur, apud Syphaeum erat, L.—Of repeated action, when, whenever, at times when, as often as, always... when, if: omnes, quom valemus, recta consilia aegrotis damus, T.: cum permagna praemia sunt, est causa peccandi: Cum furit... Profuit aestūs avertere, V.: cum cogniti sunt, retinent caritatem: cum rosam viderat, tum incipere ver arbitrabatur, never until.—In clauses stating a fact, the point or period of time fixed by the main sentence (cum inversum), when, at the time when, and at this time, and meanwhile, and yet: longe iam abieram, quom sensi, T.: dies nondum decem intercesserant, cum filius necatur: Vix ea fatus erat, cum scindit se nubes, V.: multum diei processerat, cum etiamtum eventus in incerto erat, S.: nondum lucebat, cum scitum est: iamque hoc facere apparabant, cum matres procurrerunt, Cs.: Et iam phalanx ibat... flammas cum puppis Extulerat, V.: anni sunt octo, cum interea invenitis, etc.: cum interim milites domum obsidere coeperunt: nondum centum anni sunt, cum lata lex est.—Describing a time by natural events, when, while, as soon as: ipsi, cum iam dilucesceret, deducuntur: cum lux adpropinquaret.—In narration, describing the occasion or circumstances of an action (cum historicum), when, on the occasion that, under the circumstances that, while, after.—With imperf: Magistratus quom ibi adesset, occeptast agi, T.: Marius, cum secaretur, vetuit se adligari: Caesar cum ab hoste non amplius abesset... legati revertuntur, Cs.: heri, cum vos non adessetis: cum ad tribum Polliam ventum est, et praeco cunctaretur, ‘cita,’ inquit, etc., L.: Socrates, cum XXX tyranni essent, pedem portā non extulit, as long as: vidi, Cum tu terga dares, O.: is cum interrogaretur... respondit.—With maxime, just as, precisely when: Caesar, cum maxime furor arderet Antoni, exercitum comparavit: cum maxime agmen explicaretur, adoriuntur, L. — With perf: hic pagus, cum domo exisset, Cassium interfecerat, Cs.: cum domos vacuas fecissent, iunguntur nuptiis, L.: cum fanum expilavisset, navigabat Syracusas. — Of repeated occasions, when, whenever, on every occasion that, as often as.—With imperf: dispersos, cum longius procederent, adoriebatur, Cs.: saepe, cum aliquem videret, etc., on seeing, N.: numquam est conspectus, cum veniret. — With pluperf: Cum cohortes ex acie procucurrissent, Numidae effugiebant, Cs.: qui cum in convivium venisset: quantum obfuit multis, cum fecissent, etc.—Describing a time named in the principal sentence, when, such that, in which: Si ullum fuit tempus quom ego fuerim, etc., T.: fuit antea tempus, cum Galli superarent, Cs.: vigesimo anno, cum tot praetores in provinciā fuissent: eodem anno, cum omnia infida essent, L.: biduum supererat, cum frumentum metiri oporteret, in which, Cs.: fuit cum arbitrarer, etc.: audivi cum diceret, etc.—    II. Meton., of identical actions, when, in that, by the fact that: Qui quom hunc accusant, Naevium accusant, T.: quae cum taces, nulla esse concedis: quod cum facit, iudicat, etc.: senatum intueri videor, cum te videor, L.: loco ille motus est, cum ex urbe est depulsus: quod cum dederis, illud dederis, ut, etc.: illa scelera, cum eius domum evertisti (which you committed) in uprooting: purgatio est cum factum conceditur, culpa removetur.—In hypothesis, assuming a fact, when, if: ad cuius fidem confugiet, cum per eius fidem laeditur, etc.—Contrary to fact, when, if, if at such a time: haec neque cum ego dicerem, neque cum tu negares, magni momenti nostra esset oratio: quod esset iudicium, cum tres... adsedissent?—Explaining a feeling, etc., that, because, for: Dis habeo gratiam, Quom adfuerunt liberae, T.: gratulor tibi, cum tantum vales. — As connective, correl. with tum, while, when; cum... tum, as... so, both... and, and besides, while... especially: Quom id mihi placebat, tum omnes bona dicere, T.: cum omnes eo convenerant, tum navium quod ubique fuerat coëgerant, Cs.: qui cum multa providit, tum quod te consulem non vidit: movit patres cum causa, tum auctor, L.—In the adverb. phrase cum maxime, with ellips. of predicate, in the highest degree, most: hanc Amabat, ut quom maxime, tum Pamphilus, as much as ever, T.: ea, quae fiunt cum maxime, i. e. at this very moment: sed cum maxime tamen hoc significabat, precisely this: quae multos iam annos, et nunc cum maxime, cupit.—    III. Praegn., giving a cause or reason (cum causale), when, since, because, inasmuch as, seeing that, in that, in view of the fact that: haud invito sermo mi accessit tuos, Quom... intellego, T.: Deos quaeso ut sit superstes, Quom veritust facere, etc., T.: an pater familiarissimis suscensuit, cum Sullam laudarent? for praising: quae cum ita sint, videamus, etc.: cum longinqua instet militia, commeatum do, L.: cum tanta multitudo tela conicerent, potestas erat, etc., Cs.: cum esset egens, coepit, etc.: Caesar cum constituisset hiemare in continenti, obsides imperat, Cs.—So often nunc cum, now that, since in fact: nunc vero cum sit unus Pompeius.—Often with praesertim, especially since, more than all when: nam puerum non tollent... Praesertim quom sit, etc., T.: cum praesertim vos aliam miseritis.—With quippe, since evidently, since of course: nihil est virtute amabilius... quippe cum propter virtutem diligamus, etc. — In contrasts, when, while, whereas, while on the contrary, and yet (cum adversativum): finem faciam dicundi, quom ipse finem non facit? T.: quo tandem ore mentionem facitis... cum fateamini, etc.: cum maximis eum rebus liberares... culpam relinquebas: simulat se confiteri, cum interea aliud machinetur.—In concessions, when, although, notwithstanding (cum concessivum): nil quom est, nil defit tamen, T.: pecuniam facere cum posset, non statuit: cum aquae vim vehat ingentem (Druentia), non tamen navium patiens est, L.: patrem meum, cum proscriptus non esset, ingulastis: quam causam dixerat, cum annos ad quinquaginta natus esset?

1.

2.
natyʀɛl naturel, -le naturalness

[natura'lettsa]

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