Fåtall

Fåtall is a Swedish noun meaning a small number or a handful. It is used to refer to a quantity that is small but nonzero, often in formal or statistical contexts where exact counts are not specified. The phrase ett fåtal, meaning “a small number of,” is common in written and spoken Swedish.

Etymology and usage notes: Fåtall is formed from få, meaning few, and tal, meaning number. It typically appears with the determiner ett (ett fåtal) to describe a subset of a larger group. The term signals an approximate count and is often preferred when precision is either unnecessary or impractical. In contrast to nakna hypernyms like några (some) or flera (several), fåtal emphasizes the small size of the portion.

Syntax and examples: Ett fåtal av deltagarna deltog i mötet. Ett fåtal företag har uppnått målet i år. Fåtalet is rarely used on its own without a following noun and is most natural in phrases that specify a subset (av ...). In mathematical or highly precise contexts, more exact numbers or fractions would be used instead of fåtal.

Nuance and equivalents: Fåtall conveys moderation and selectivity, implying attentiveness to the small scale of the group rather than abundance. English equivalents include “a small number,” “a handful,” or “a minority,” depending on context. Synonyms in Swedish with slightly different connotations include några (some, a few) and få (a few, several), where fåtal is more formal and restricted in scope.

Cross-language notes: The term is cognate in Norwegian and Danish, where fåtal similarly means a small number and is used in comparable contexts.