Vijana wengi wanaojifunza Kiingereza hupata shida kidogo kutambua tofauti kati ya maneno 'small' na 'little'. Ingawa yana maana karibu sawa – yaani, ‘kidogo’ au ‘ndogo’ – kuna tofauti katika matumizi yake. Kwa ujumla, 'small' hutumika zaidi kuelezea ukubwa wa kitu chenyewe, wakati 'little' hutumika kuelezea wingi mdogo wa kitu au umbo dogo lenye mvuto fulani. Pia, 'little' mara nyingi hutumika kwa vitu vidogo, vyenye kupendeza.

Mfano:

• Small: The cat is small. (Paka ni mdogo.) This describes the physical size of the cat.
• Little: I have a little money. (Nina pesa kidogo.) This describes a small amount of money.

Mfano mwingine:

• Small: He has a small car. (Ana gari ndogo.) This refers to the size of the car.
• Little: She has a little dog. (Ana mbwa mdogo.) While describing size, it suggests that the dog is cute or charming.

Katika baadhi ya visa, maneno haya yanaweza kubadilishana bila kubadili maana sana, lakini ni vyema kuzingatia muktadha. 'Little' inaweza pia kutumika kama neno la kielezi kama vile katika sentensi hii; “I’m feeling a little tired.” (Nahisi uchovu kidogo.)

Happy learning!