This is the 70th most frequent French word.
quelques
"Quelques" means "some" or "a few" in English.
Here, 'quelques' is used as a quantifier to indicate a small, indefinite quantity of apples.
J'ai acheté quelques pommes au marché.
I bought a few apples at the market.
In this instance, 'quelques' is specifying an indefinite, small number of friends expected at dinner.
Quelques amis viendront au dîner ce soir.
A few friends will come to dinner tonight.
In this case, 'quelques' denotes an unspecified small number of books present on the table.