vill / e bëssen / e puer
Quantities: Vill, E Bëssen and E Puer
vill (a lot, many), e bëssen (a little), e puer (a few), wéineg (little, few): vill Leit, e bëssen Zocker, e puer Minutten, wéineg Zäit.
How It Works
Which word goes with which noun?
- vill – a lot of, much, many: vill Leit, vill Kaffi
- wéineg – little, few (not much, not many): wéineg Zäit, wéineg Leit
- e bëssen – a little, a bit of, with nouns you cannot count: e bëssen Zocker, e bësse Mëllech
- e puer – a few, with plural nouns: e puer Minutten, e puer Bicher
The difference between wéineg and e bëssen is the same as between English little and a little: Ech hu wéineg Zäit stresses that there is not enough, Ech hunn e bëssen Zäit that there is some.
No word for of
The noun follows directly, as after other amount words (see quantity + noun): vill Leit, not vill vu Leit.
The n-rule on bëssen
Bëssen ends in n, so it becomes bësse before most consonants: e bësse Mëllech, e bësse Lëtzebuergesch, but e bëssen Zocker, e bësse méi. See n-rule.
puer or Puer?
Written in lowercase, e puer means a few. With a capital letter, e Puer is a noun meaning a pair: e Puer Schong (a pair of shoes).
Without a noun
All four can also stand alone or describe a verb: Hatt liest vill (She reads a lot), Ech schwätzen e bësse Lëtzebuergesch. Vill also makes ze and méi stronger: vill ze deier (much too expensive), vill méi grouss (much bigger).
Comparing
Vill becomes méi (more) and wéineg becomes manner (less, fewer): see besser/léiwer/manner.
Examples (6)
- Haut si vill Leit am Park.
There are a lot of people in the park today.
Word by Word: Today are many people in the park.
Sinn loses its n before the v of vill.
- Wëlls du e bëssen Zocker an de Kaffi?
Would you like a little sugar in your coffee?
Word by Word: Want you a bit sugar in the coffee?
Bëssen keeps its n before the z of Zocker.
- Ech schwätzen e bësse Lëtzebuergesch.
I speak a little Luxembourgish.
Word by Word: I speak a bit Luxembourgish.
Bëssen loses its n before the l of Lëtzebuergesch.
- Ech brauch nach e puer Minutten.
I need a few more minutes.
Word by Word: I need still a few minutes.
E puer goes with a plural noun you can count.
- Mir hunn haut wéineg Zäit.
We have little time today.
Word by Word: We have today little time.
Wéineg means not much.
- D’Anna liest vill.
Anna reads a lot.
Word by Word: The Anna reads much.
Vill can also describe a verb.
Common Mistakes
Using e puer with a noun that cannot be counted.
Ech hätt gär e puer Mëllech.Ech hätt gär e bësse Mëllech.E puer means a few and needs a plural noun, such as e puer Minutten. For milk, sugar or time, use e bëssen.
Capitalizing puer.
Ech hunn e Puer Minutten.Ech hunn e puer Minutten.With a capital letter, e Puer is a noun meaning a pair. A few is always written e puer.
Keeping the n of bëssen before a consonant.
Ech hätt gär e bëssen Mëllech.Ech hätt gär e bësse Mëllech.By the n-rule, bëssen loses its n before m. It keeps it before a vowel and before d, h, n, t and z, as in e bëssen Zocker.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Quantities: Vill, E Bëssen and E Puer, learn How Much and How Many: Wéi vill.
Related Patterns
- Amounts Without Of
Like measure words, these amount words take the noun directly, without of.
Level 2 - besser / léiwer / mannerIrregular Comparatives
Vill becomes méi and wéineg becomes manner in comparisons.
Level 2 - et gëttThere Is and There Are: Et Gëtt
Et gëtt vill Leit hei combines there is with an amount word.
Level 1 - ze + AdjectiveToo: Ze + Adjective
Ze vill and ze wéineg mean too much and too little.
Level 2 - genuchEnough: Genuch
Genuch (enough) also stands before a noun: genuch Zäit.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice vill / e bëssen / e puer in Bubblegum
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