How long is a few hours?
The word "few" is used to emphasize how small a number is or a group of people. When we use the phrase "a few hours" we mean something is going to happen within three or more hours or after three or more hours.
It's very vague, but “a few hours” generally means three to five. So when they say “ See you in a few hours” it could be in 3–5 hours.
How many is a few? A few is generally considered to mean between two and several. Some people use a few to mean around three, but this is not a universal interpretation. Its meaning is highly relative to the context—it often depends on what's being discussed, especially the scale and expectations.
The answer is that there is no hard-and-fast answer. What “a few” means to me might be different than what “a few” means to you. So, if you tell someone you'll be there “in a few minutes,” the two of you might understand that to mean, say, less than five minutes, but one of you might mean something slightly longer.
"in just a few hours" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to refer to a short amount of time soon in the future. For example, "I'll be finished with the project in just a few hours.".
of minutes less than 30 minutes can be always referred as “few minutes”. Once it's 30, it is counted as half an hour for ease of calculation.
Although a few doesn't refer to any specific number, it's typically used to refer to a relatively small number that's more than two (e.g., “I'm going home in a few hours”).
While many would agree that few means three or more, the dictionary definition is, “not many but more than one.” So, a few cannot be one, but it can be as low as two.
How much is a few minutes? A few means less, small. It is relative term. For example wait for a few minutes generally means wait for about 5 to 20 minutes.
Several hours means longer than that: more than a couple, more than a few. If someone said they had to wait several hours, I would expect at least three or four, and possibly more.
Is a few hours 2 or 3?
If being specific, "a couple of hours" means two hours. However, when said people often refer to "about two hours, more or less". A few hours is more vague; A few hours definitely means less than 24 hours in 99.99% cases and could range from 2–5 hours depending upon the work or that particular context.
The phrase 'a few hours ago' is correct and usable in written English. It is used to refer to a point in time that is not too far away in the past. For example: "I was watching a movie a few hours ago.".
Rule. Use a little for non-countable nouns (e.g., jam, time). Use a few if the noun is countable (e.g., jars of jam, students).
Why is the day divided into 24 hours? The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use 24 hours to divide the day. They divided the day into 12 hours from sunrise to sunset, and the night into a further 12 hours from sunset to sunrise.
Your choices are "a two-hour journey" (singular "hour", hyphen) and "two hours' journey." The reason for the possessive case is that "two hours'" is replacing "of two hours", which is possessive. The "of " form of the modifier is used after the modified noun, and the apostrophe form is used before the modified noun.
"up to" could refer to the number 2, in which case it means "at most 2 hours before". This parse is: Customers must check in online (up to 2) hours before the scheduled flight departure. But it can also refer to the metaphorical movement of time.
A “few” typically refers to the vicinity of 3 to 7 of something. A few days would be longer than a couple (two) but shorter than a week (seven). So the time duration could range from three to six days and still be classified as a few.
a quarter of an hour. synonyms: quarter-hour.
Overview: 15-minute rule
Chunk the work down into a 15-minute task and give yourself permission to stop after 15 minutes if you want to. Nine times out of ten you will just continue what you've started.
Answer. Few means "not many (people or things)." It is used to say that there are not a lot of people or things. A few means "some (people or things)." It is used to say that there are a small number of people or things. Below are some examples showing how each is used. I have a few [=some/a small number of] friends.
Can a few mean 8?
A few could typically mean 2–9, since it generally means more than one yet less than ten (except when the ten is noted as some proportion of a much-larger set like 1,000 or 100,000). Two people of a 12- person jury is a few; so is four.
Originally Answered: Is a couple of years or a few of years greater? "A couple" specifically means two (though it is colloquially used to mean "a small number"). "A few" typically means 3-4. And, by the way, we do say "a couple of years", but we do not say "a few of years".
"Few" means "virtually none" or "almost zero". Connotation. "A few" connotes "not an overwhelmingly large number, but not an insignificantly small number either."
Several is larger than a few, might be as few as 4, more typically 5 to 10, possibly as many as 15 or 20 in “several minutes”.
Couple is used to refer to two things, but is also often used for a small number greater than two. Few is used the same way as couple and also for a number slightly greater than a couple. Several is usually used for a number greater than a couple and a few.
