Is it a couple years ago or a couple of years ago?

Is it a couple years ago or a couple of years ago?

a couple of years is around two years, give or take a bit, but even though people use couple in much the same way as they would a handful or a few, most folks see a couple as meaning two, specifically.

What does a couple of years ago mean?

Its smallness seems to be relative: a quick check of our citation files reveals that the phrase a couple of years ago has been used to refer to everything from one year and change to eight years, though most of the time the phrase seems to be used of three or four years (when we can verify dates).

What considered few years?

To a twenty-year-old, a few years would be about 3. To an eighty-year-old, a few years could be 20 or more.

What Does couple mean in numbers?

two
A couple means two. A few means a small number. (“ I have fewer than you”/”they are few and far between”) Several, according to its dictionary definition means “more than two but not many”, so a few but not a couple. And some, according to the dictionary means “an unspecified amount or number”.

How many years are couple years?

Is it couple of or just couple?

It doesn’t matter whether you mean literally a couple, i.e. just two people or things, or you use “a couple of” synonymously to “a few”; it represents a plural idea, so the correct form is: correct There were just a couple of people at the party. wrong There was just a couple of people at the party.

How many years is a couple of years?

A couple of years is about two years, give or take a little, but even though people use a couple in about the same way as a handful or a few, most people assume that a couple means two in particular.

Is a few more than a couple?

A couple is usually two (a married couple), or sometimes ‘about two’ if you are being vague (a couple of dozen, a couple of inches). A few is more than a couple, but not as many as several.

How long is several years ago?

Usually around 3-10 years depending on the way it’s said and the context. “Some years ago, when I met my first girlfriend” Several usually means three of something. If someone says several years, they will usually be meaning around 3 years.

How much is a couple vs a few?

12 Answers. A couple is usually two (a married couple), or sometimes ‘about two’ if you are being vague (a couple of dozen, a couple of inches). A few is more than a couple, but not as many as several.

Is few more than a couple?

Is a few 3 or 4?

While many people would agree that “a few” means three or more, the actual dictionary definition of “a few” is, “not many but more than one.” So, “a few” cannot be one, but it can be as low as two.

How many is considered some?

The nice thing about “some” is that the definition is clear: always at least one, but maybe all. Other terms, such as “few,” “several,” and “many,” are more relative.

Is it a couple months or a couple of months?

And how many months are “a couple of months” please? Two, three, or even four or more? Literally, “couple” means two, but (at least in AE), “a couple of” is pretty widely used informally to refer to two or three of something.

Is a couple years correct?

While illiterates might say “couple years,” the correct form is “couple of years.” “Years” needs a preposition.

Is 3 a couple or a few?

Couple means 2; few means 3, and several means “four or more.”

Is 5 a few or several?

A couple is generally around two, a few is more than that, but usually less than five, and several is around five or more, a number that can be severed into smaller groups.

How many is several years?

several Add to list Share. Two is a “couple” and more than two or three is several. If you eat four donuts you can say you had several but you may have had too many — especially if you get a stomach-ache.

What’s the difference between a few and several?

The number implied in the word few is “more than two,” Beyond that, trying to specify how many more is fruitless. Several comes from a word meaning “existing apart.” Before it came to mean “more than one” (about 1530), it was used with the meanings “separate, various, diverse, different.”

What’s the difference between few and couple?

The main difference between a couple and a few is that a couple is used to indicate a small number or amount of something, but usually at least two or more (generally, not more than 5) whereas a few may indicate a small number ranging from minimum 3 to even 10.