Let’s learn a little about the the word “little.” OK. I’m a little nerdy when it comes to words. But the sound, the meanings, the turns of expression, and how a word in English can be like a word in French, but not like a word in French. is part of this mystery of human communication. When I was a little girl and had first traveled out of the country with my family, we went to Caracas, Venezuela and then onto Trinidad. The people in Venezuela where just so kind to us kids and in Trinidad, too, -kindness, how precious. We were little. But all around us we heard this swirl of a different language. It was like a code to be broken, but a little difficult to figure out. So there is the great mystery of language. In the French dictionary the word”little” has quite a big list of expressions. “LIttle” can mean “less,” “least,” “smaller,” “smallest.” So in French, “petit” or “peu.” Here is the list: A little boy. Un petit garçon. A little girl. Une petite fille. Little ones. Enfants. The little people. Les fées. Come here my little one. Viens ici, mon petit. A tiny little house. Une toute petite maison. Wait a little while! Attendez un petit moment! The little finger. Le petit doigt. Peu de. A little money. Peu d’argent. She knows a little music. Elle sait quelque peu de musique. I took very little of it. J’en a pris moins que rien. Be it ever so little. Si peu que ce soit. Esprit. Mesquin. A little mind. Un petit esprit. Little, less, least. Peu. To eat little or nothing. Manger peu ou point. He knows very little. Il ne sait pas grand chose. I had little to do with it. J’y ai été pour peu de chose. I see very little of him. Je ne le vois guère. To think little of something. Faire peu de cas de quelque chose. Little by little. Petit à petit. Peu à peu. Every little bit helps. Tout fait nombre. A little more. Encore un peu. A little makes us laugh. Un rien nous fait rire. For a little while. Pendant un certain temps. I was a little afraid. J’avais un peu peur. A little more than an hour ago. Il n’y a guère plus d’une heure.

So there you have it. The little turns of expression. If we work at things little by little, we will accomplish a lot.