There are only some = There are just a few

[ahsanul.irfan]

1. There are only some people who can solve it.

Can it mean "There are just a few people who can solve it"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would say that "some" is more than "a few" but fewer than "all". Bear in mind that there is no specific definition for "a few" or "some". Native speakers pick up the general idea as they learn to speak as babies/children. It's clear from this forum that the nuances can be difficult for learners to grasp.

 

[ahsanul.irfan]

I would say that "some" is more than "a few" but fewer than "all". Bear in mind that there is no specific definition for "a few" or "some". Native speakers pick up the general idea as they learn to speak as babies/children. It's clear from this forum that the nuances can be difficult for learners to grasp.

Does 1 only mean that " The only people who are there are the people who can solve it, there is no one except for them"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Does 1 only mean that " The only people who are there are the people who can solve it, there is no one except for them"?

That makes no sense at all, I'm afraid. It simply means that not everyone can solve it. I think you're getting confused by "There are". The word "There" has nothing to do with location in that context. It's the same usage as "There are seven billion people on the planet" and "There are hundreds of different species of trees".

 

[ahsanul.irfan]

That makes no sense at all, I'm afraid. It simply means that not everyone can solve it. I think you're getting confused by "There are". The word "There" has nothing to do with location in that context. It's the same usage as "There are seven billion people on the planet" and "There are hundreds of different species of trees".

There are just some people who can solve it.
There are just only some people who can solve it.
There are only just some people who can solve it.

Do these three also only mean "not everyone can solve it"?

To me, they also sound like "The only people who are there are the people...."

 

[5jj]

As emsr2d2 told you here, "No. Don't use both "just" and "only". They mean the same thing so it's tautologous."

 

[emsr2d2]

For a more natural sentence, you could dispense with "There are".

Only some people can solve it.

 

[ahsanul.irfan]

For a more natural sentence, you could dispense with "There are".

Only some people can solve it.

"Just some people can solve it." It will mean the same right?

 

[emsr2d2]

As I said (in one of your other threads, I guess, since I can't find it in this one), "just a few" is a common and natural collocation/phrase but "just some" isn't.

You won't go wrong if you use "Just a few/Only a few" and "Only some", but there's definitely a risk of being wrong if you use "Just some".

I've found the thread where I told you that. Look HERE.

I think you're having trouble keeping up with all your threads. If you had asked just one question in the first place, you wouldn't be struggling.