How to Say "not many" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “not many” is “poco” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Muchos empiezan el curso, pero pocos lo terminan.
Many start the course, but few finish it.
—¿Necesitas más galletas? —No, gracias, con estas pocas es suficiente.
—Do you need more cookies? —No, thanks, with these few it's enough.
De todos mis amigos, pocos viven cerca.
Of all my friends, few live nearby.
Standing In for a Noun
You can use 'pocos' or 'pocas' to replace a noun you just mentioned. It saves you from repeating yourself. Just make sure it matches the original noun's gender and number.
Gender Mismatch
Mistake: “—¿Cuántas manzanas quedan? —Quedan pocos.”
Correction: —¿Cuántas manzanas quedan? —Quedan pocas. You must use 'pocas' because 'manzanas' (apples) is a feminine word.
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.