más pequeño que
/mas pekeɲo ke/from spelling rules
The English phrase "smaller than" is translated into Spanish as más pequeño que.
Used to compare the size of two things when one has less physical dimension than the other.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of más (more), pequeño (small) and que (than).
Which one should you use?
While más pequeño que refers to physical size, menor que is used when comparing age or importance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective pequeño must agree in gender with the noun being compared, changing to pequeña for feminine nouns. The adjective pequeño must agree in number with the noun being compared, changing to pequeños for masculine plural nouns and pequeñas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/mas pekeɲo ke/
Did you know?
- If you use más pequeño to describe a person's age instead of menor, a native speaker might think you are commenting on their short height.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, pequeño or pequeña is used as a term of endearment like 'little one' even if the person is not actually small.
- The Spanish word más is a relative of the English word 'master'. Both derive from the Latin word magis, which relates to being greater or more.
Examples in context
- Es más pequeño que Tokio.It is smaller than Tokyo.This sentence is useful for showing how to use más pequeño que to compare cities.Tatoeba #2132135 by Shishir, translation #42210 by CM
- Japón es más pequeño que Canadá.Japan is smaller than Canada.This sentence is useful for comparing the size of two countries using más pequeño que.Tatoeba #727762 by Shishir, translation #281491 by CK
- ¿No tiene nada más pequeño que esto?Don't you have anything smaller than this?This sentence is useful for asking a question about an object using más pequeño que.Tatoeba #1683844 by marcelostockle, translation #55321 by CK
- El perro es más pequeño que el gato.The dog is smaller than the cat.
- Este cuadro es de menor tamaño que el anterior.This painting is smaller than the previous one.
- El lápiz rojo es más pequeño que el lápiz verde.The red pencil is smaller than the green pencil.
- La casa es más pequeña que el edificio.The house is smaller than the building.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are shopping for a gift for a friend.
- Mateo¿Crees que este regalo sea adecuado?Do you think this gift is suitable?
- LucíaNo, es más pequeño que la caja que necesitamos.No, it is smaller than the box we need.
- MateoTienes razón, busquemos algo distinto.You are right, let's look for something else.
- LucíaMira este otro, es perfecto.Look at this other one, it is perfect.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries más, pequeño, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
