- ...less
- [lɪs]SUFFIX sin
coatless — sin abrigo
LESS THAN, FEWER THANhatless — sin sombrero
"Menos ... que" or "menos ... de"?
► Use menos with que before nouns and pronouns (provided they are not followed by clauses) as well as before adverbs and prepositions:
He has less money than his sister Tiene menos dinero que su hermana
He sells less/fewer than I do or than me Vende menos que yo
These days I'm much less shy than before Hoy en día soy mucho menos tímido que antes ► Use menos ... de lo que/del que/de la que/de los que/de las que with following clauses:
He earns less than I thought Gana menos de lo que yo creía
They have 16 seats - five fewer than they had before these elections Tienen 16 escaños - cinco menos de los que tenían antes de estas elecciones
It provides the body with fewer calories than it needs Proporciona al organismo menos calorías de las que necesita ► Use menos with de before lo + ((adjective/past participle)):
The price of wheat went up less than expected El precio del trigo subió menos de lo previsto ► Use menos with de in comparisons involving numbers or quantity:
... in less than eight seconds ... ... en menos de ocho segundos ...
You won't get it for less than 4,000 euros No lo conseguirás por menos de 4.000 euros NOTE: But use que instead in emphatic expressions like nada menos que and ni más ni menos que even when followed by numbers:
They offered him no less than 100,000 euros a year! ¡Le ofrecieron nada menos que or ni más ni menos que 100.000 euros al año!
A lot less, far fewer
► When translating a lot less, far fewer {etc} remember to make the mucho in mucho menos agree with any noun it describes or refers to:
These bulbs use a lot less electricity than conventional ones Estas bombillas gastan mucha menos electricidad que las normales
They have had far fewer opportunities than wealthy people Han gozado de muchas menos oportunidades que la gente rica For further uses and examples, see fewer, less
English-spanish dictionary. 2013.
