Persian کم kam covers both English few and little, so count versus mass is mainly visible in the noun, not in two different quantifiers. Yet “small quantity” is not a single meaning. کمی often presents a usable amount (“a little/some”), کم can place an amount below expectation (“little/not much”), and formal اندک and معدود add their own stylistic and semantic coloring.
The small-quantity system
| Pattern | Core interpretation | Register |
|---|---|---|
| کمی + mass noun | a little, some | neutral |
| mass noun + ezafe + کمی | little/a small amount, often below a contextual standard | neutral |
| plural count noun + ezafe + کمی | few | neutral |
| کم + verb/adjective | little, infrequently, low in degree | neutral |
| اندک / اندکی | little, slight; a little | formal or literary |
| plural noun + معدودی | a limited number of; only a few | formal |
These are tendencies, not a mechanical positive/negative switch. Intonation and context can make کمی وقت داریم sound worried, while وقت کمی داریم can be a neutral measurement. Still, word order gives speakers a strong default: prenominal کمی introduces some quantity; postnominal کمی describes that quantity as small.
کمی before a mass noun: “a little”
Before a mass noun, کمی normally means “a little” or “some.” It asserts a nonzero amount and often sounds mildly positive: there is at least something available.
کمی وقت داریم؛ اول مهمترین مسئله را بررسی کنیم.
kami vaqt dârim; avval mohem-tarin mas'ale râ barrasi konim.
We have a little time; let's examine the most important issue first.
اگر سس غلیظ است، کمی آب اضافه کن.
agar sos ghaliz ast, kami âb ezâfe kon.
If the sauce is thick, add a little water.
Persian needs no equivalent of English a in “a little.” The ـی is already part of the quantifier کمی; adding یک is usually unnecessary and changes the structure.
Postnominal کمی: a low quantity
After a noun, کمی is linked by ezafe. With a mass noun it means “a small amount of/little”; with a count noun the noun is normally plural. This construction readily implies that the amount falls short of what the situation calls for.
وقت کمی داریم؛ مستقیم برویم سر اصل مطلب.
vaqt-e kami dârim; mostaqim beravim sar-e asl-e matlab.
We have little time; let's get straight to the point.
دانشجوهای کمی در کارگاه ثبتنام کردند.
dâneshju-hâ-ye kami dar kârgâh sabt-e nâm kardand.
Few students registered for the workshop.
The minimal contrast is thus not English few versus little, but the discourse stance toward the amount:
کمی پول کنار گذاشتهام، پس میتوانم بلیت بخرم.
kami pul kenâr gozâshte-am, pas mi-tavânam belit bekharam.
I've put a little money aside, so I can buy a ticket.
پول کمی کنار گذاشتهام، پس در حال حاضر نمیتوانم بلیت بخرم.
pul-e kami kenâr gozâshte-am, pas dar hâl-e hâzer nemi-tavânam belit bekharam.
I've put little money aside, so I can't buy a ticket at present.
The following clauses make the intended implication unmistakable; the grammar alone does not mathematically entail “enough” or “not enough.” This is a scalar inference shaped by the speaker's expectations.
کم outside the noun phrase
Bare کم modifies verbs and gradable predicates. With a verb it means “little,” “not often,” or “to a low extent.” It can also form lexical predicates such as کم بودن “to be insufficient/low.”
این روزها کم میخوابم و زود خسته میشوم.
in ruz-hâ kam mi-khâbam va zud khaste mi-shavam.
These days I sleep little and get tired quickly.
نور این اتاق کم است؛ چراغ را روشن کن.
nur-e in otâq kam ast; cherâgh râ rowshan kon.
The light in this room is low; turn on the lamp.
Do not automatically add ـی to adverbial کم. کم میخوابم describes how much you sleep. کمی میخوابم is possible, but more readily means “I sleep for a bit,” presenting a bounded small episode rather than a low habitual amount.
Count nouns: few, a few, and a small number of
Neutral noun + کمی uses a plural count noun: کتابهای کمی. By contrast, prenominal چند selects a morphologically singular noun: چند کتاب “a few books.” The two patterns overlap, but چند often merely gives an approximate small number, while postnominal کمی highlights scarcity.
چند نفر پیشنهاد دادند، اما افراد کمی مسئولیت را پذیرفتند.
chand nafar pishnehâd dâdand, ammâ afrâd-e kami mas'uliyyat râ paziroftand.
A few people made suggestions, but few people accepted responsibility.
For an explicit subset of a known group, formal Persian commonly uses تعداد کمی از “a small number of”:
تعداد کمی از مسافران پرواز خود را لغو کردند.
te'dâd-e kami az mosâferân parvâz-e khod râ laghv kardand.
A small number of the passengers canceled their flight. (formal)
The complement after از is a delimited group. For the general subset structure, see partitives with از.
اندک and معدود in formal registers
اندک means “little, slight, few” in formal and literary Persian. Postnominal اندکی parallels کمی; prenominal اندکی can mean “a little.” It is normal in reports and elevated prose but usually sounds bookish in a casual request.
فرصت اندکی برای اصلاح گزارش باقی مانده است.
forsat-e andaki barâ-ye eslâh-e gozâresh bâqi mânde ast.
Little time remains for revising the report. (formal)
اندکی صبر کنید تا نتیجه اعلام شود.
andaki sabr konid tâ natije e'lâm shavad.
Please wait a little until the result is announced. (formal)
معدود profiles a countable, limited set. Its common indefinite shape is a plural noun plus معدودی: موارد معدودی “a limited number of cases.” It cannot normally quantify a mass noun such as water or time.
فقط در موارد معدودی این روش نتیجه نمیدهد.
faqat dar mavâred-e ma'dudi in ravesh natije nemi-dahad.
This method fails only in a limited number of cases. (formal)
The presence of فقط strengthens the “exceptional few” reading. معدود is not simply a fancier substitute for every occurrence of کم: it is member-counting and formal.
Agreement and definiteness
With human plural nouns, plural verbal agreement is normal: افراد کمی پذیرفتند. With inanimate plurals, formal Persian often permits or favors singular agreement, especially when the items are treated collectively.
نسخههای کمی از این سند باقی مانده است.
noskhe-hâ-ye kami az in sanad bâqi mânde ast.
Few copies of this document remain. (formal; inanimate singular agreement)
Quantity does not itself create English-style definiteness. نسخههای کمی introduces an indefinite small set; نسخههای کمی از این سند restricts it through a specific source set. If the entire phrase is a specific direct object, را comes after the entire phrase.
A natural exchange
برای تحویل پروژه چقدر وقت مانده است؟
barâ-ye tahvil-e prozhe cheqadr vaqt mânde ast?
How much time is left to submit the project?
وقت کمی مانده، ولی اگر کمی کمک بگیریم تمام میشود.
vaqt-e kami mânde, vali agar kami komak begirim tamâm mi-shavad.
Little time is left, but if we get a little help, it'll get finished.
The same speaker uses postnominal وقت کمی to warn of scarcity and prenominal کمی کمک to introduce a useful nonzero amount.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving چند a plural noun
❌ چند دانشجوها منتظرند.
Incorrect — چند takes a morphologically singular count noun.
✅ چند دانشجو منتظرند.
chand dâneshju montazerand.
A few students are waiting.
2. Giving postnominal کمی a singular count noun
❌ دانشجوی کمی ثبتنام کردند.
Incorrect for 'few students' — the count noun should be plural.
✅ دانشجوهای کمی ثبتنام کردند.
dâneshju-hâ-ye kami sabt-e nâm kardand.
Few students registered.
3. Using معدود with a mass noun
❌ آب معدودی در مخزن مانده است.
Incorrect — معدود counts a limited number of members, not a mass.
✅ آب کمی در مخزن مانده است.
âb-e kami dar makhzan mânde ast.
Little water remains in the tank.
4. Inserting را before the quantifier phrase is complete
❌ تعداد را کمی از مقالهها خواندم.
Incorrect — را cannot split the quantifier from its از complement.
✅ تعداد کمی از مقالهها را خواندم.
te'dâd-e kami az maqâle-hâ râ khândam.
I read a small number of the articles.
Key Takeaways
- Persian کم serves both count and mass meanings; noun syntax distinguishes “few” from “little.”
- Prenominal کمی often asserts some usable amount; postnominal کمی readily signals scarcity.
- چند + singular count noun contrasts structurally with plural noun + کمی.
- اندک is formal/literary; معدود is formal, count-only, and emphasizes a limited set.
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