Significado
Indicating an insufficient quantity.
Contexto cultural
In Romanian culture, serving 'prea puțin' food to a guest is considered a failure of character. Hosts will often overfill plates to avoid even the hint of insufficiency. In villages, 'prea puțin' was historically used to describe a bad harvest. It carries a weight of communal concern, not just personal inconvenience. In cities like Bucharest, 'prea puțin timp' is the most common complaint, reflecting the fast-paced, traffic-heavy lifestyle of modern Romanians. Students often use 'prea puține puncte' to describe being close to a passing grade but failing, reflecting a high-pressure academic environment.
Agreement is Key
Always check the noun after 'puțin'. If it's feminine (like 'apă' or 'cafea'), use 'puțină'.
Don't over-complain
Romanians are direct, but saying 'prea puțin' to a host's face can be rude. Use 'cam puțin' to be softer.
Significado
Indicating an insufficient quantity.
Agreement is Key
Always check the noun after 'puțin'. If it's feminine (like 'apă' or 'cafea'), use 'puțină'.
Don't over-complain
Romanians are direct, but saying 'prea puțin' to a host's face can be rude. Use 'cam puțin' to be softer.
Adverbial Use
When using it with a verb (e.g., 'mănânc prea puțin'), it never changes form. It's always 'prea puțin'.
Modesty
Use 'am făcut prea puțin' to show humility when someone thanks you for a big favor.
Teste-se
Fill in the correct form of 'puțin' (puțin, puțină, puțini, puține).
Avem prea ______ apă în sticlă.
'Apă' is a feminine singular noun.
Which sentence correctly expresses that there are not enough people?
Select the correct sentence:
'Oameni' is masculine plural, so we use 'puțini'.
Complete the dialogue with the most natural phrase.
A: Vrei mai multă cafea? B: Nu, mulțumesc. Am pus ______ zahăr și e amară.
If the coffee is bitter (amară), it means there was 'too little' sugar.
Match the complaint to the situation.
Situation: You are trying to download a 10GB file but your disk has only 2GB.
'Spațiu' (space) is what you lack on a disk.
Complete the sentence about work habits.
Dacă înveți ______ ______, nu vei trece examenul.
Studying 'too little' leads to failing an exam.
Match the noun to the correct form of 'prea puțin'.
1. Zahăr, 2. Sare, 3. Oameni, 4. Idei
Matches gender and number: Zahăr (M.S.), Sare (F.S.), Oameni (M.P.), Idei (F.P.).
🎉 Pontuação: /6
Recursos visuais
Quantity Scale in Romanian
Gender Agreement for 'Prea Puțin'
Masculine
- • prea puțin zahăr
- • prea puțini bani
Feminine
- • prea puțină apă
- • prea puține mere
Banco de exercicios
6 exerciciosAvem prea ______ apă în sticlă.
'Apă' is a feminine singular noun.
Select the correct sentence:
'Oameni' is masculine plural, so we use 'puțini'.
A: Vrei mai multă cafea? B: Nu, mulțumesc. Am pus ______ zahăr și e amară.
If the coffee is bitter (amară), it means there was 'too little' sugar.
Situation: You are trying to download a 10GB file but your disk has only 2GB.
'Spațiu' (space) is what you lack on a disk.
Dacă înveți ______ ______, nu vei trece examenul.
Studying 'too little' leads to failing an exam.
Combine cada item a esquerda com seu par a direita:
Matches gender and number: Zahăr (M.S.), Sare (F.S.), Oameni (M.P.), Idei (F.P.).
🎉 Pontuação: /6
Perguntas frequentes
14 perguntasYes, but use the plural 'prea puțini' (masculine) or 'prea puține' (feminine). Example: 'Sunt prea puțini elevi în clasă.'
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or with your friends. For very formal reports, 'insuficient' is better.
They are almost identical. 'Prea puțin' focuses on the small amount, while 'nu e destul' focuses on the lack of sufficiency.
No, in Romanian you don't use 'de' after 'puțin' when it's an adjective. Just say 'prea puțin zahăr'.
Use 'prea puțini' (masculine) or 'prea puține' (feminine).
In modern Romanian, yes. In very old texts or religious contexts, it can mean 'very' or 'most'.
Yes, 'prea puțin timp' is very common.
It depends on your tone. If you say it politely to point out a mistake, it's fine.
The opposite is 'prea mult' (too much).
Usually, 'prea' is used with adjectives (prea mic - too small). 'Prea puțin' is used with nouns or verbs.
It sounds like the 'ts' in 'cats' or 'tsunami'.
Almost, but 'cam' makes it sound like 'a bit too little'—it's softer.
Yes, 'prea puțină iubire' is perfectly valid and quite poetic.
Because Romanian adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe.
Frases relacionadas
Destul
contrastEnough
Cam puțin
similarA bit little
Foarte puțin
similarVery little
Mai puțin
builds onLess
Cel mai puțin
specialized formThe least
Insuficient
synonymInsufficient
