Inklingo

How to Say "more" in Spanish

English → Spanish

más

AdverbA1General
Use 'más' as an adverb when you want to indicate a greater quantity or degree of something, or when making a comparison.

Examples

Quiero más agua, por favor.

I want more water, please.

más

PronounA2General
Use 'más' as a pronoun when it stands alone and refers to 'more of something' previously mentioned or implied.

Examples

-¿Quieres un poco de pastel? -Sí, quiero más, por favor.

-Do you want some cake? -Yes, I want more, please.

otras

oh-trahsˈotɾas

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'otras' when 'more' functions as an adjective meaning 'additional' or 'other' items, often in phrases like 'some more' or 'the other' items.
A girl pointing from a small group of chairs towards a larger, separate group of chairs, illustrating the concept of 'other' (feminine plural).

Examples

Necesito las otras sillas, por favor.

I need the other chairs, please.

Hay otras maneras de resolver el problema.

There are other ways to solve the problem.

¿Quieres otras dos galletas?

Do you want two other cookies? / Do you want two more cookies?

Always Matches Feminine Plural Nouns

Use 'otras' right before a word for more than one feminine thing or person (like 'casas' or 'chicas'). It has to match in being both feminine and plural. Think 'otras amigas' (other female friends).

Never Say 'Unas Otras'

In English, you can say 'some other ones'. In Spanish, you never use 'unas' before 'otras'. Just say 'otras'. For example: 'Tengo otras ideas' (I have other ideas).

Gender Mix-up

Mistake: “Me gustan las otras zapatos.”

Correction: Me gustan los otros zapatos. The word 'zapatos' (shoes) is masculine, so you need the masculine form 'otros' to match it.

ma

mahma

InterjectionB2Informal
Use 'ma' as a very informal, shortened interjection for 'más' in casual, rapid speech, often used as a term of endearment.
A stylish woman walking confidently down a sunny street.

Examples

¿Qué pasa, ma? ¿A dónde vas?

What's up, babe? Where are you going?

Ella es la que ma' me gusta.

She is the one I like the most (Caribbean style).

Dropped Consonants

In Caribbean Spanish, people often drop the 's' at the end of words. So 'más' (more) sounds like 'ma'. In texting, they might write it as 'ma' or 'ma'.'

Spelling vs Sound

Mistake: “Writing 'ma' when you mean 'más' in a formal essay.”

Correction: Always write 'más' with the 's' and accent mark unless you are deliberately writing in a slang or dialect style.

Confusing 'más' with 'otras'

Learners often confuse 'más' (more quantity/degree) with 'otras' (other/additional items). Remember that 'más' is used when you want *more of the same thing*, while 'otras' refers to *different items*.

Related Translations

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