German word

paar

Pronunciation

IPA/paːɐ̯/

Meaning

  • numbera couple of

Example

Kannst du mir ein paar Euro leihen?

Can you lend me a couple of euros?

Illustration for paar (a couple of)

More examples

Wir bleiben noch ein paar Tage.

We'll stay for a couple more days.

Core concept

A small cluster of items treated as one loose group rather than counted exactly.

Common phrases

  • ein paar Leute

    a couple of people

  • ein paar Tage

    a couple of days

  • ein paar Wochen

    a couple of weeks

Similar words

ein paar: A very small number, usually around two or three.
einige: Some items or people in an imprecisely stated group.
mehrere: Several items or people, numbering at least three.
wenige: Only a small number of items or people.

Definition in German

Wort zur Bezeichnung einer geringen, vage bestimmten Menge, oft in Kombination mit dem unbestimmten Artikel.

Word origin

German paar is historically related to Paar and ultimately comes from Latin par, meaning "equal" or "a matched pair."

Usage tips

  • The quantity word is lowercase and usually stays unchanged, as in "ein paar Euro," while capitalized Paar means a pair.

Opposites

  • vielemanynumber

Word lists with this word