más o menos
/ˌmas o ˈmenos/
The English phrase 'so-so' is expressed in Spanish as más o menos.
The primary way to express that something is neither good nor bad is using the phrase más o menos. You can also use the adjective regular to mean 'so-so' or 'average' in many Spanish-speaking countries. Other related forms that mean 'neither well nor poorly' include así así and tal cual.
Meaning: neither good nor bad (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase más o menos literally translates to 'more or less'.
Which one should you use?
While más o menos is a common way to express 'so-so', the word regular is frequently used as an adjective to specifically mean 'average' or 'so-so'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase más o menos is grammatically versatile and can function as both an adjective and an adverb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌmas o ˈmenos/
Did you know?
- While más o menos is used everywhere, the phrase así así is rarely used by native speakers in Spain or Latin America and is often viewed as a cliché taught only to foreigners in textbooks.
- In many Latin American countries, if you ask how you are and someone replies regular, they are actually giving you a slightly negative hint that they are not doing well.
- In some regions, a person might accompany the phrase más o menos with a hand gesture, rocking their palm back and forth to visually represent the fluctuation between 'more' and 'less'.
Examples in context
- La calidad de este hotel es regular.The quality of this hotel is so-so.
- La comida del restaurante es aceptable.The food at the restaurant is so-so.
- El servicio fue aceptable, pero no excepcional.The service was so-so, but not exceptional.
- La película estuvo regularcita.The movie was so-so.
- Mi equipo de fútbol jugó bastante regularcito hoy.My soccer team played so-so today.
- ¿Cómo estuvo tu día? – Más o menos, nada emocionante.How was your day? – So-so, nothing exciting.
- La comida estuvo más o menos.The food was so-so.
- Mi examen estuvo más o menos.My exam was so-so.
- El clima hoy está más o menos.The weather today is so-so.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a movie they recently saw.
- Daniel¿Te gustó la película, Lucía?Did you like the movie, Lucía?
- LucíaNo, estuvo más o menos.No, it was so-so.
- Daniel¿Te pareció aburrida?Did you find it boring?
- LucíaNo, solo estuvo más o menos.No, it was just so-so.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry más o menos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
