Less or Fewer?

[Lee]

Hi, this is Lee, an English lady living in Germany. Could someone please tell me an easy way to explain to a Polish gentleman, who lives in Germany and is trying to learn English...... when to use Less and when to use Fewer. Many thanks

[Dany]

Originally Posted by Lee

Hi, this is Lee, an English lady living in Germany. Could someone please tell me an easy way to explain to a Polish gentleman, who lives in Germany and is trying to learn English...... when to use Less and when to use Fewer. Many thanks

Hello Lee,

I try to explain it in an easy way

Fewer:
(comparative of `few' used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of; "fewer birds came this year"; "the birds are fewer this year"; "fewer trains were late"

less:
(comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree; "of less importance"; "less time to spend with the family"; "a shower uses less water"; "less than three years old"

I hope that helps

Kind regards,
Dany

[Lee]

Thanks Dany, You're a star!

[Dany]

Originally Posted by Lee

Thanks Dany, You're a star!

You're welcome