mas o menos / asi asi? Same translation? so so?

Question

Is this the same definition?

Answer 1

They're not exactly the same, as qfreed and Madh4tter said above.

más o menos significa de manera aproximada

así así significa mediocre, medianamente

más o menos means "approximately" or "around about"

así así means "mediocre" or "moderately", "acceptably", "tolerably"

Más o menos, then, would be an indication of the amount or quantity of something; whereas, así así would have more to do with the quality of something.

For example, if you ask somebody, "do you get off of work in an hour" it would fit better to say más o menos because you could answer this question with "more or less," but it wouldn't make as much sense to answer this question with "mediocre, acceptably, tolerably, etc.".

Of course there are times when the two are relatively interchangeable such as if someone were to ask you, "Do you feel good today?" Are you feeling like the day is tolerable/acceptable, or are you feeling as though the day is going well, more or less? In this case, both would be possible to use although with subtly different implications in meaning.

• That's a great answer. I learned from you. - Goyo Aug 29, 2009
• This response is WRONG. "Asi" means, "so" as in "that way" or "like that". Saying it twice doesn't alter that meaning. It's NOT equivalent to the phrase "so, so" in English. - juanpasillo Nov 13, 2010

Answer 2

All the comments here are wrong. "Asi, asi" is an anglicism, i.e. taken from English. "Asi" means "like that" or "so" as in "that way". Saying it twice to a true native speaker from Latin America is the same as saying "like that, like that". And as a response to "How are you?" it basically has no meaning. "Mas o menos" or "regular" are the correct responses if you are saying "so, so". "Mas o menos" is, in fact, the correct translation for the English "so, so" or "more or less".

"Asi, asi" is commonly taught by non-native speakers and probably by heritage speakers like the Spanglish speaking Mexicans out west. Nonetheless, in all my travels and years in Latin America and Spain, I've never heard a native speaker use it. And the ones I've asked about it don't really know what it means. It's amazing that this incorrect and mostly incomprehensible translation has becomes so common among Americans using Spanish and Spanglish speakers. Like I've always said, if you are abroad and someone says, "Como estas?" You gesture your hand back and forth and say, "Asi, asi". The true native speaker will probably think, "I don't know what he just said, but that hand tells me he's more or less okay."

It's simple. If you want to say "so, so" in Spanish, say "mas o menos" or "regular". Erase "asi, asi" from your vocabulary as a response to how you are doing.

• Not to mention that it's taught in classrooms by native speakers and by almost course I've ever taken. Though I rarely hear it. - jeezzle Nov 13, 2010
• I would doubt they're true native speakers. I've never met one yet that uses or recognizes the phrase as a correct Spanish phrase. (And I've met A LOT of native speakers) - juanpasillo Nov 13, 2010
• Juan, you say this very firmly but the Real Academia Española does not attest to the usage you say is proper. Instead, así así shows up as "mediocre, medianamente." - kbsmith Feb 21, 2012
• And, by the by, the Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas suggests that más o menos would mean approximately. Even if you are to use it, I would recommend spelling it correctly (i.e. más o menos, not mas o menos) - kbsmith Feb 21, 2012

Answer 3

Indeed, over here we use así, así, all the time

Answer 4

Sí. Son los mismos.

Answer 5

I think it depends on the context. They can be the same in meaning approximately, about, around, etc.

¿Cómo andas? Así así seems to fit, but más o menos begs the question of more or less what? (we usually infer more or less of the same, pero no me suena bien aquí)

• Q, Isn't it "no me suena bien"? - --Mariana-- Aug 28, 2009
• I think you are right. Sueña is dream and that doesn't make much sense. no me suena bien aqui makes more sense as it means "I don't sound good here" - madh4tter Aug 28, 2009
• most people forget their tildes and I overuse one. No wonder people call me strange! Yes, I meant suena. - qfreed Aug 29, 2009
• "no me suena bien aqui makes more sense as it means "I don't sound good here". Well, actually, it means "It doesn't sound good to me". - Nick-Cortina Aug 29, 2009

Answer 6

They mean the same, but I also agree with what qfreed says. Use it in the context that you feel comfortable with. For example, if someone asked you ¿Te gustó la película? you could answer with "mas o menos...." and even a literal translation would make sense. However, when someone asks you ¿Cómo estás? using "mas o menos" might not sound right to you if you translate it literally to "more or less." In this case, you may want to use "Así así" instead.

Anyone is free to correct me if I'm wrong. ^-^

• Sounds great to me. - NikkiRivera Aug 28, 2009

Answer 7

It is the same meaning

Answer 8

"Asi Asi" is a true word and commonly used in Spain not Latin America. So anybody learning Spanish will encounter it in books written by spaniards.

Answer 9

This is really interesting. I admit, I've learned both--mostly from textbooks, but I have never heard a Spanish speaker use either one. My exposure is largely limited to speakers from Latin America, and the response that seems prevalent is "regular".

Answer 10

You can find the expression "asi asi" in the textbook "Puntos de Partida", chapter 1. I know that's where I learned it......over 25 years ago!

Answer 11

This is true, I have never heard the phrase "así así" used by a native speaker. "Más o menos" is what you say when you want to say "eh, alright."

Answer 12

I'm not convinced about laying the blame on English. The French say "comme si some ca"( sorry don't have the proper keyboard for doing a cedilla). Italians say "Meza, meza." (in all cases, usually accompanied by a similar gesture [waving of the hand]).

• It's not a question of being convinced. It's simply fact that native Spanish speakers don't say "asi, asi" to mean "so, so". I'm not blaming English, I'm blaming gringo Spanish instructors that improperly translate this idiom. - juanpasillo Nov 13, 2010