menos que
/menos ke/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "less than" is menos que.
The phrase menos que is used to indicate that one amount or number is smaller than another.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of menos (less) and que (than).
Which one should you use?
Use menos que for comparisons of quantity or degree. In contrast, use menor que specifically when you are comparing size or age, such as saying someone is "younger than" or something is "smaller than".
How does it change in a sentence?
When less than is followed by a specific number or quantity rather than a direct comparison to another noun or pronoun, you should often use menos de instead of menos que.
How do you pronounce it?
/menos ke/
Did you know?
- The expression menos mal translates literally to 'less bad', but it is used as a common idiom meaning 'thank goodness'.
- When telling time, menos is used to say 'to' in phrases like 'ten to five', literally meaning 'five minus ten'.
- The word que is a distant relative of the English word 'who'. Both descended from a Proto-Indo-European root used to ask questions.
Examples in context
- No mido menos que tú.I'm not less than you.This sentence shows how to use menos que in a comparison of height.Tatoeba #6584312 by arh, translation #8789854 by shekitten
- Trabajas menos que yo.You work less than I do.This sentence illustrates the use of menos que when comparing work amounts.Tatoeba #6592489 by arh, translation #9770694 by DJ_Saidez
- Cinco es menos que ocho.5 is less than 8.This sentence demonstrates using menos que to compare numerical values.Tatoeba #571837 by Shishir, translation #72537 by CK
- Mario tiene menos dinero que Laura.Mario has less money than Laura.
- El equipo A tiene un tiempo de llegada menor que el equipo B.Team A has a shorter arrival time than team B.
- El precio del nuevo teléfono es inferior al anterior.The price of the new phone is lower than the previous one.
- La temperatura en invierno es más baja que en verano.The temperature in winter is lower than in summer.
- Esa película es menos interesante que la anterior.That movie is less interesting than the previous one.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about the price of tickets.
- SofíaEste boleto cuesta menos que el otro.This ticket costs less than the other one.
- Mateo¿Cuánto cuesta exactamente?How much does it cost exactly?
- SofíaCuesta menos que diez euros.It costs less than ten euros.
- MateoPerfecto, voy a comprar ese.Perfect, I am going to buy that one.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries menos, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
