Indefinite Article is Used with Few and Little

The indefinite article, a or an, is used with few and little.

a few means a small number, or what the speaker considers a small number
a little means a small amount, or what the speaker considers a small amount

So that ' a little time' can mean days or years, depending on the speaker; and 'a few friends' can mean two or three, or twenty or thirty.

only placed first: 'only a few/only a little' emphasizes that the number/ quantoty really is small -- in the speakers's opinion.

Few and Little can also be used without article but then have an almost negative meaning, and can usually be replaced by hardly any.

For examples:

• 'We had little time for amusement' implies that we were always busy.
• 'Few people know this' = It is almost unknown.