moins de
The English phrase "less than" is translated into French as moins de.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use moins de before a number or a quantity, but use moins que when comparing two nouns or qualities.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use moins que instead of moins de when followed by a specific number.
Did you know?
- The word moins is used to tell time in French when subtracting minutes from the hour, such as moins le quart for 'quarter to'.
- French speakers use au moins to mean 'at least', effectively flipping the meaning of moins from 'less' to a minimum requirement.
- In some formal contexts, moins can be used as a conjunction to mean 'except' or 'save for', such as in the phrase tous moins un for 'all but one'.
Examples in context
- Elle n'a pas moins de trente ans.She is not less than thirty.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is not less than thirty years old using moins de.Tatoeba #366874 by sysko, translation #315035 by BraveSentry
- Ça coûtait moins de quinze dollars.It was less than fifteen dollars.This sentence is useful for stating a cost that was less than fifteen dollars using moins de.Tatoeba #373781 by zmoo, translation #379200 by Dorenda
- Il nous reste moins de trois heures.We have less than three hours left.This sentence is useful for describing a remaining time of less than three hours using moins de.Tatoeba #5489841 by Aiji, translation #2712822 by CK
- Il parle moins que son collègue.He speaks less than his colleague.
- Elle est moins rapide que toi.She is less fast than you.
- J'ai pas autant d'argent que toi.I don't have as much money as you.
- Elle est moins grande que lui.She is less tall than him.
- Il a moins de fleurs que moi.He has fewer flowers than me.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are checking the ingredients for a cake.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'il reste du lait ?Is there any milk left?
- GabrielIl reste moins de cent millilitres.There is less than one hundred milliliters left.
- EmmaC'est trop peu pour la recette.That is too little for the recipe.
- GabrielJe vais en acheter tout de suite.I will go buy some right away.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
