menos
/ˈmenos/
The Spanish word for the mathematical term 'minus' is menos.
menos is used as a preposition in mathematics to indicate subtraction (less). It can also function as an adjective when describing something that is on the negative part of a scale.
Meaning: mathematics: less (prep)
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter the noun negativo to refer specifically to a negative quantity.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmenos/
Did you know?
- The phrase menos mal is a common idiom meaning 'thank goodness' or 'it is a good thing', despite literally translating to 'minus bad'.
- When talking about time, menos is used to say 'to' or 'until', such as las cinco menos cuarto for 'a quarter to five'.
- In Spanish, the word menos can be used as a conjunction meaning 'except', as in todos menos yo, which translates to 'everyone except me'.
Examples in context
- Diez menos dos son ocho.Ten minus two is eight.This sentence shows how to use menos in a simple subtraction equation.Tatoeba #1302190 by wallebot, translation #1304581 by candistyx
- Cinco menos tres son dos.Five minus three is two.Tatoeba #5212310 by cueyayotl, translation #3629663 by Katubeltza
- Siete menos dos es cinco.Seven minus two is five.Tatoeba #12180572 by ecorralest101, translation #7977018 by deniko
- Debes restar diez de cincuenta.You should subtract ten from fifty.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are helping a child with math homework.
- Elena¿Cuánto es diez menos cuatro?How much is ten minus four?
- DanielEs seis, Elena.It's six, Elena.
- Elena¡Muy bien, Daniel!Very good, Daniel!
- DanielAhora la siguiente cuenta.Now the next calculation.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “minus” translations and entries menos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
