What does "the next few decades" and "the next decades" mean? I don't know how to use "few".
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"Few" indicates a small quantity of something, usually around three or four in number. The speaker mentions "the next few decades," which you can understand as "the three or four decades to come." We can use "few" to describe a general quantity of something, for example, when counting items or describing a general situation. Ex: A: What are you packing in your suitcase? B: A few t-shirts. (A small number of t-shirts). Ex: A: Did you eat all my chips!? B: No! I just ate a few (a small number). We can also use "a couple" when referring to a number even smaller than a few: two items. "Several" is used when the number is more than a few, but not too many. Ex: I have a couple of books you can borrow. Ex: I have several brothers and sisters.
