no demasiado
/no demasjado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "not too much" is translated into Spanish as no demasiado.
no demasiado is used to indicate that a quantity or degree is moderate and not excessive.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not) and demasiado (too much/excessive), literally meaning "not too much".
Which one should you use?
The colloquial expression No tanto así can be used to express that something is not to that extent or not as much as it may seem.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adverb to modify an adjective or a verb, the form remains no demasiado regardless of gender or number. If you are referring to a plural countable noun, you must change the ending to no demasiados (masculine) or no demasiadas (feminine). If the noun being modified is feminine and singular, the phrase changes to no demasiada.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, answering no demasiado to a question about how you are doing can be a polite way to signal that you are struggling without complaining openly.
- The word demasiado comes from demasía, which refers to an excess or a surplus. This root connects the phrase to the legal and historical idea of exceeding a permitted limit.
- While no demasiado is neutral, Spanish speakers often use the phrase ni mucho ni poco to emphasize a perfect balance. This literally means 'neither much nor little'.
Examples in context
- Prefiero no tener tanto trabajoI prefer not to have too much work
- La comida no está exageradamente picanteThe food is not excessively spicy
- No muchoNot too much
- No está picante en excesoIt's not too spicy
- No comas demasiado.Don't eat too much.
- No hay demasiada gente.There are not too many people.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about their weekend plans.
- Daniel¿Vas a trabajar mucho este fin de semana?Are you going to work a lot this weekend?
- LucíaSí, pero no demasiado, Daniel.Yes, but not too much, Daniel.
- DanielQué bien, entonces podemos salir a cenar.That's great, then we can go out for dinner.
- LucíaMe parece perfecto, Lucía está de acuerdo.Sounds perfect, Lucía agrees.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries demasiado, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
