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The indefinite adjectives: poco, molto, and troppo

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  1. Poco
  2. Poco is an indefinite adjective that means little or few. It is used in the plural with countable nouns, and in the singular with uncountable nouns. Like all adjectives, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

    C’è poca luce qui.
    There isn’t much light here.

    Mia madre è venuta, ma è stata di poco aiuto.
    My mom came, but she was of little help.

    I veri amici sono pochi.
    True friends are few [and far between].

    È un uomo di poche parole.
    He is a man of few words.

    Ciò che ho fatto io è poca cosa.
    What I did was really nothing [said in modesty].

    Abbiate pazienza! Mancano pochi minuti!
    Be patient! There are only a few minutes left.

  3. Molto
  4. Molto is also an indefinite adjective. It means much, many, or a lot of. It, too, is used in the plural with countable nouns and in the singular with uncountable nouns.

    Per i ragazzi è importante avere molti amici.
    For kids, it is important to have many friends.

    Fa freddo e c’è molto vento!
    It’s cold and there’s a lot of wind!

    Dopo aver fatto una corsa, bevo molta acqua.
    After I’ve had a run, I drink a lot of water.

    La Costa Smeralda è un luogo interessante con molte cose da fare.
    La Costa Smerelda is an interesting place with many things to do.

    Mio nonno aveva molti libri antichi.
    My grandfather owned many ancient books.

  5. Troppo
  6. Troppo is an indefinite adjective that means too much or too many. Like the other two indefinite adjectives we’ve seen in this lesson, it is used in the plural with countable nouns and in the singular with uncountable nouns.

    C’è troppa neve per poter arrivare prima di sera!
    There’s too much snow to be able to arrive before evening!

    Non mettere troppo formaggio.
    Don’t put too much cheese [on it].

    Ci sono troppe persone e non c’è abbastanza spazio.
    There are too many people and there’s not enough space.

    Alcune persone credono che consumare troppi carboidrati faccia male alla salute.
    Some people believe eating too many carbohydrates is bad for your health.

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