Time going by · Time and plans
little by little
gradually
Slowly, in small stages rather than all at once.
This vs that
Little by little, she became more confident.
She learned the whole system all at once.
Hear it in real life
Are you feeling better now?
Yes, little by little. I can manage a short walk again.
Little by little, I got used to cycling to work in the rain.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
People normally use this simple conversational phrase instead of the abstract formal wording.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: My English is improving little with little.
Say: My English is improving little by little.
The fixed expression uses 'by', not 'with'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
little by little, ___
Little by little, the old neighbourhood is changing.
Little by little, I stopped worrying about what other people thought.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about time going by.
before you know it
You'll be home before you know it.
over the course of ___
We built the garden over the course of a weekend.
Time going by words
Time and plans · Time going by: the words around “little by little”.
More connectionsMore time going by words8
More time going by words
Your turn: say it out loud
I picked it up little by little.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
little by little
gradually
“Little by little, I got used to cycling to work in the rain.”
heytardy