Couple Minutes

Couple Minutes

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Reader Vam asks whether the phrase a couple of more minutes is acceptable. Here is the answer:
The quantifier a couple of is used to say that there are two of something. When people use this phrase, they usually mean approximately two, not exactly two.
In very informal usage, you may hear a couple of + more , as in:
However, many people consider a couple of + more ungrammatical, so it shouldn't be used in formal or academic writing.
In formal and informal English, a couple of can be used with a plural noun, or with an adjective + plural noun, as in these examples:
A couple of can also be used with the numbers dozen, hundred, thousand, million, and billion to mean that there are approximately two times that number, as in:
A couple of cannot be used with other numbers ( a couple of fifty people ).
The word of in the expression a couple of is often reduced or deleted in spoken English, as in:

75 other terms for couple of minutes - words and phrases with similar meaning

Which is longer, couple of minutes or a few minutes?
Chief Bottle Washer at MÄNNKITCHEN ( 2017 – present ) · Author has 396 answers and 1.9M answer views · 4 y ·
What should we say, a couple of minutes or a few minutes?
How many minutes is a couple of minutes?
What is the difference between "a few minutes" and "few minutes"?
The difference is that your first example “We have only few minutes” is GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT. Your second example “We have only A few minutes.” IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT. The Noun “minutes,” (preceded by the adjective “few”) needs an ARTICLE. In this case it is the INDEFINITE Article “A” giving you: “We have only A few minutes.” The INDEFINITE Article is used here because the meaning of the sentence is INDEFINITE as to the number of minutes available.
What should we say, a couple of minutes or a few minutes?
How many minutes is a couple of minutes?
What is the difference between "a few minutes" and "few minutes"?
What is a few minutes? Can 22 minutes be a part of the few minutes?
Can we say "after a few moments" instead of "after 10 minutes"?
What does “a couple of minutes” mean?
Why do people say "in a few minutes" when what they mean is "in an hour or so"?
Is it correct to say "A few minutes is enough time"? Or should it be "A few minutes are enough time"?
How long is 'once in a few minutes'?
What should we say, a couple of minutes or a few minutes?
How many minutes is a couple of minutes?
What is the difference between "a few minutes" and "few minutes"?
What is a few minutes? Can 22 minutes be a part of the few minutes?
Can we say "after a few moments" instead of "after 10 minutes"?
What does “a couple of minutes” mean?
Something went wrong. Wait a moment and try again.
A few is technically longer than a couple, though our experience of time is relative.
For example, watching “a few” episodes of your favorite show on Netflix will take 7 hours, while watching “a couple” episodes of your wife’s favorite show will take an eternity.

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What's the idiomatic way to refer to times and minutes with the adverb couple?
He already did it couple times in past.
I have to go a couple of minutes and I'll be back.
"Couple" can be used as a quantificational noun, in which case, it takes an of-phrase complement (eg. "a couple of minutes"). But it can also be used as an adjective as in "a couple minutes". The adjectival use is informal, if not non-standard.
The phrase is " a couple of times ." In conversation (and thus for transcribed speech), people will say "a couple uh times," clipping the letter f from of. The " uh " is easy to drop, so it becomes "a couple times," but will be understood to represent the original. (user1057190 in comments)
The dictionary states that there are two options in usage: a couple of (formal) and a couple with dropped of (informal).
a couple of , more than two, but not many, of; a small number of; a
few: It will take a couple of days for the package to get there. A
dinner party, whether for a couple of old friends or eight new
acquaintances, takes nearly the same amount of effort. Also Informal,
a couple ( https://www.dictionary.com/browse/couple )
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