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menos

MEH-nohsˈme.nos

less, fewer

Two stacks of coins side-by-side. One stack is tall and the other is much shorter, indicating 'less'.

📝 In Action

Quiero menos azúcar en mi café, por favor.

A1

I want less sugar in my coffee, please.

En la fiesta había menos gente de la que esperaba.

A2

There were fewer people at the party than I expected.

Intenta trabajar menos y descansar más.

B1

Try to work less and rest more.

Word Connections

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • menos que – less/fewer than
  • cada vez menos – less and less
  • por lo menos – at least

Idioms & Expressions

  • echar de menos a alguien – to miss someone
  • ni más ni menos – exactly; none other than

except

Also: but
A row of five apples. Four of them are red and one is green, showing that all are red 'except' the green one.

📝 In Action

Todos mis amigos vienen a la fiesta, menos Ricardo.

A2

All my friends are coming to the party, except Ricardo.

Puedes comer de todo, menos los pasteles.

A2

You can eat everything, except the cakes.

Trabajo todos los días menos los domingos.

B1

I work every day except Sundays.

Word Connections

Synonyms

minus

A simple drawing of five apples, with a large X over two of them, representing 'five minus two'.

📝 In Action

Cinco menos dos son tres.

A1

Five minus two is three.

Diez menos siete igual a tres.

A1

Ten minus seven equals three.

La temperatura es de dos grados menos cero.

A2

The temperature is two degrees below zero.

Word Connections

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • menos cero – below zero

to, till

An analog clock with no numbers, showing the time as a quarter to ten.

📝 In Action

Son las diez menos cuarto.

A2

It's a quarter to ten. (Literally: It's ten minus a quarter.)

Nos vemos a las seis menos veinte.

A2

See you at twenty to six.

Faltan cinco para las ocho. / Son las ocho menos cinco.

B1

It's five to eight.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • para (for/to (in telling time))

Antonyms

  • y (and/past (in telling time))

Common Collocations

  • menos cuarto – quarter to
  • menos diez – ten to

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "menos" in Spanish:

but→except→fewer→less→minus→till→to→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: menos

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence correctly uses 'menos' to mean 'except'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
menor(younger, smaller, minor) — Adjective
al menos(at least) — Adverbial Phrase
por lo menos(at least) — Adverbial Phrase
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'minus', which means 'less'. It's a direct descendant and has kept its core meaning of reduction or smaller quantity for thousands of years.

First recorded: Around the 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: menosItalian: menoFrench: moinsEnglish: minus

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'por lo menos' and 'al menos'?

Great question! In most everyday situations, they mean the exact same thing: 'at least'. You can use them interchangeably. 'Por lo menos tenemos café' and 'Al menos tenemos café' both mean 'At least we have coffee'.

Can I say 'cuarenta minutos a las cuatro' for 3:40, like 'forty minutes to four'?

While people might understand you, it sounds very unnatural in Spanish. The standard, natural way is to use 'menos'. For 3:40, you would say 'Son las cuatro menos veinte' (It's four minus twenty).

Is 'menos' always spelled the same? Does it change for gender or number?

Yes, 'menos' is a word that always stays the same. It doesn't change whether you're talking about masculine, feminine, singular, or plural things. It's always just 'menos'.