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menos

adverbBeginnerHigh frequency

What does “menos” mean in English?

  1. less

Example sentences

  • Tengo menos dinero ahora.

    I have less money now.

  • Es menos caro que el otro.

    It's less expensive than the other.

  • Cuatro menos uno son tres.

    Four minus one is three.

How to use it

Menos means 'less' / 'fewer'. Used in comparatives (menos + adj + que = less X than). Also means 'minus' in math and 'except' in some contexts.

Common mistake

Menos works for both countable and uncountable: 'menos dinero', 'menos amigos'. English splits 'less / fewer'; Spanish uses menos for both.

Topics

Related Beginner words

Reference

This entry’s teaching guidance follows A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (Butt, Benjamin & Moreira Rodríguez, Routledge), 31.