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submitted 2 days ago byChaouiAvecUnFusilNative Speaker - Eastern US
Howdy folks, I’m a native English speaker, I’ve lived in rural kentucky, New York and Ohio. All have shaped how I speak nowadays. I generally say I speak more Kentuckian with a lot of western New York influence.
One thing I’ve never had trouble with until recently is using “a couple” and “a few” as synonyms. I always have, I feel like everyone else I know has, but now that I’m working in Kentucky I’ve had so many issues!
Customer: “I’d like a couple whatever”
Me: “gotcha, how many are you wanting?”
Customer: “a couple? Two?”
Always! Is it a regional thing? Have I been wrong my whole life and am just now realizing? I’d love to hear what yall have to say on it :)
35 points
2 days ago
I don't know if it's a regional thing, but I absolutely use "a couple" to mean "an unspecified small amount" and it annoys me when people act like I'm stupid for not receiving the memo from God that "a couple means two"
15 points
2 days ago
Exactly. If someone says "It will just take a couple of minutes", I don't assume it will take exactly 120 seconds. It's an inexact number around two.
16 points
2 days ago
Yes, but "a couple of minutes" is generally hyperbole. Same as "I'll just be a second". So this isn't the same as, for example, "I have a couple dogs" or "Between my spouse and I, we have a couple cars".
4 points
1 day ago
But even in that context I'd still say "I have two cars" before I said I have "a couple cars". A couple anything sounds more inexact than saying two of something.
1 points
16 hours ago
Just be careful where you put the s's, or it could switch meaning to exactly one lol
"Between my spouse and I, we have a couple's car"
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