Little and small

[brute]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I agree with them, too, holandesita inglesa

Studying the examples of wordreference, I can see than they say:

A small car = un cochecito
A little cat = un gatito
A little boy = uni niño

Should I use "small" with inanimate objects and "little" with animate ones?

On the ferry to Sweden I thought I heard a German order a litre of oil at the bar (Ein Liter Öl)
In fact he was Swedish, asking for a small beer (En liten öl, tack)

Liten is a direct translation of little
Öl (Swedish) is a translation of ale (English beer)
Öl (German) is oil in English

I have also heard English people call beer Neck Oil

[brute]

Little is the word most used by children and children's literature, fairy tales etc.
Little Red Riding Hood, Bo Peep, Jack Horner. It is a more affectionate word than small. Small in contrast can be used negatively.

What a nice little girl - affection
but
What is that small boy doing to my car? - disapproval

She is small-minded and mean, - disapproval
but Winnie the Poo is "A bear of little brain" - affection

A small town sounds less homely than a little village.

However, both words are usually interchangeable.

I

[irmamar]

Thanks, Brute