How do you use "less vs fewer" in a sentence?

We have less time than I thought. There are fewer students this year. I drink less coffee now. Fewer than 10 people came.

less vs fewer

Q: What does "less vs fewer" mean?

Comparison with uncountable and countable nouns 'Less' is for uncountable nouns: 'less water, less time, less money.' 'Fewer' is for countable nouns: 'fewer people, fewer problems.' In informal speech, 'less' is often used for both.

Grammar Pattern BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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Significado: Comparison with uncountable and countable nouns

不可数和可数名词的比较

Comparación con sustantivos contables e incontables

不可算名詞と可算名詞の比較

불가산 명사와 가산 명사의 비교

'Less' is for uncountable nouns: 'less water, less time, less money.' 'Fewer' is for countable nouns: 'fewer people, fewer problems.' In informal speech, 'less' is often used for both.

'Less'用于不可数名词：less water, less time, less money。'Fewer'用于可数名词：fewer people, fewer problems。在非正式口语中，'less'经常两者都用。

'Less' es para sustantivos incontables: less water, less time, less money. 'Fewer' es para sustantivos contables: fewer people, fewer problems. En el habla informal, 'less' se usa a menudo para ambos.

「Less」は不可算名詞用：less water, less time, less money。「Fewer」は可算名詞用：fewer people, fewer problems。くだけた話し方では「less」が両方に使われることが多いです。

'Less'는 불가산 명사에 사용합니다: 'less water, less time, less money.' 'Fewer'는 가산 명사에 사용합니다: 'fewer people, fewer problems.' 일상 회화에서는 'less'가 둘 다에 사용되기도 합니다.

Ejemplos

We have less time than I thought.
我们的时间比我想象的少。
Tenemos menos tiempo del que pensaba.
思ったより時間がありません。
생각보다 시간이 없습니다.
There are fewer students this year.
今年学生少了。
Hay menos estudiantes este año.
今年は学生が少ないです。
올해는 학생이 더 적습니다.
I drink less coffee now.
我现在喝咖啡少了。
Ahora bebo menos café.
今はコーヒーを飲む量が減りました。
지금은 커피를 덜 마십니다.
Fewer than 10 people came.
来的人不到10个。
Vinieron menos de 10 personas.
10人未満しか来ませんでした。
10명도 안 되는 사람이 왔습니다.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: spoken, written, everyday

Tono: comparative

✓ Correcto

I have less patience than before.
我比以前更没耐心了。
Tengo menos paciencia que antes.
以前より我慢が少なくなりました。
예전보다 인내심이 줄었어요.
Fewer cars means less pollution.
更少的车意味着更少的污染。
Menos coches significa menos contaminación.
車が少なければ汚染も少なくなります。
차가 적으면 오염도 줄어요.
We need fewer meetings.
我们需要更少的会议。
Necesitamos menos reuniones.
ミーティングを減らす必要があります。
회의를 줄여야 해요.
Fewer people came.
来的人更少了。
Vinieron menos personas.
来た人は少なかった。
온 사람이 더 적었어요.
There's less water.
水更少了。
Hay menos agua.
水が少ない。
물이 더 적어요.

✗ Incorrecto

Less people came. (formally: 'fewer')
Less people came.（正式用法：fewer）
Less people came. (formalmente: 'fewer')
Less people came.（正式には「fewer」）
Less people came. (정식 표현으로는 'fewer'를 사용)
There's fewer water. (use 'less')
There's fewer water.（用'less'）
There's fewer water. (usar 'less')
There's fewer water.（「less」を使う）
There's fewer water. ('less'를 사용)

Origen e historia

Countable/uncountable comparison

Contexto cultural

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

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