How do you use "a lot of / lots of" in a sentence?

There are a lot of people here. She has lots of friends. I don't have a lot of time. We saw lots of interesting things.

a lot of / lots of

Q: What does "a lot of / lots of" mean?

Expressing large quantities 'A lot of' and 'lots of' work with both countable and uncountable nouns: 'a lot of books, a lot of water.' They're less formal than 'many' (countable) and 'much' (uncountable).

Grammar Pattern BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Casual

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Meaning: Expressing large quantities

表示大量

Expresar grandes cantidades

大量を表す

많은 양을 표현하기

'A lot of' and 'lots of' work with both countable and uncountable nouns: 'a lot of books, a lot of water.' They're less formal than 'many' (countable) and 'much' (uncountable).

'A lot of'和'lots of'可以与可数和不可数名词连用：'a lot of books, a lot of water'。它们比'many'（可数）和'much'（不可数）更不正式。

'A lot of' y 'lots of' funcionan con sustantivos contables e incontables: 'a lot of books, a lot of water.' Son menos formales que 'many' (contable) y 'much' (incontable).

「A lot of」と「lots of」は可算名詞にも不可算名詞にも使えます：「a lot of books, a lot of water」。「many」（可算）や「much」（不可算）よりカジュアルです。

'A lot of'와 'lots of'는 가산명사와 불가산명사 모두에 사용됩니다: 'a lot of books, a lot of water.' 'many'(가산)와 'much'(불가산)보다 덜 격식적입니다.

Examples

There are a lot of people here.
这里有很多人。
Hay mucha gente aquí.
ここにはたくさんの人がいます。
여기 사람이 많아요.
She has lots of friends.
她有很多朋友。
Ella tiene muchos amigos.
彼女はたくさんの友達がいます。
그녀는 친구가 많아요.
I don't have a lot of time.
我没有太多时间。
No tengo mucho tiempo.
私は時間があまりありません。
시간이 많지 않아요.
We saw lots of interesting things.
我们看到了很多有趣的东西。
Vimos muchas cosas interesantes.
たくさんの面白いものを見ました。
재미있는 것들을 많이 봤어요.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: descriptive

✓ Do Say

I have a lot of work to do.
我有很多工作要做。
Tengo mucho trabajo que hacer.
やることがたくさんあります。
할 일이 많아요.
There were lots of cars.
有很多车。
Había muchos coches.
たくさんの車がありました。
차가 많았어요.
She spends a lot of money.
她花很多钱。
Ella gasta mucho dinero.
彼女はたくさんのお金を使います。
그녀는 돈을 많이 써요.
I have a lot of work.
我有很多工作。
Tengo mucho trabajo.
仕事がたくさんあります。
나는 할 일이 많아요.

✗ Don't Say

I have lot of work. (need 'a')
I have lot of work.（需要'a'）
I have lot of work. (se necesita 'a')
I have lot of work.（「a」が必要）
I have lot of work.（'a'가 필요함）
There were a lots of cars. (no 'a' with 'lots')
There were a lots of cars.（'lots'前不加'a'）
There were a lots of cars. (con 'lots' no se pone 'a')
There were a lots of cars.（「lots」の前に「a」は不要）
There were a lots of cars.（'lots' 앞에 'a'를 쓰지 않음）

Origin & History

Informal quantity expression

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal