When to use SMALL AND LITTLE

[arakolay]

I am an English teacher. Most of my students are French-speaking students. They have a lot of problems when they say "little meeting" instead of "I had a saall meeting". I correct their mistake but I cannot find anywhere in the web a grammatical explanation of when to use small and when to use little.

Can someone please help? Many thanks in advance.

 

[Anglika]

Really subtle!

How about this:

It is a small meeting = a meeting of less than normal or usual size, not great in number.

But you can also have a little meeting = one that is of short duration.