menos
adverb
1 (comparativo) less
ahora salgo menos I go out less these days; últimamente nos vemos menos we've been seeing less of each other recently; me gusta cada vez menos I like it less and less; una película menos conocida a less well-known film; Juan está menos deprimido Juan is less depressed; es menos difícil de lo que parece it's less difficult than it seems
menos aún even less
este me gusta menos aún I like this one even less
menos de (con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo) less than; (con sustantivos contables) fewer than
está a menos de tres horas en tren it's less than three hours away by train; llegamos en menos de diez minutos we got there in less than o in under ten minutes; menos de lo que piensas less than you think; tiene menos de dieciocho años he's under eighteen; menos de 50 cajas fewer than 50 boxes
en menos de nada in no time at all
por menos de nada for no reason at all
menos que less than
me gusta menos que el otro I like it less than the other one; trabaja menos que yo he doesn't work as hard as I do; este es menos caro que aquel this one is less expensive than that one; lo hizo menos cuidadosamente que ayer he did it less carefully than yesterday
2 (superlativo) least
su película menos innovadora his least innovative film; es el menos inteligente de los cuatro he is the least intelligent of the four; el chico menos desobediente de la clase the least disobedient boy in the class; es el que habla menos he's the one who talks (the) least; fue el que trabajó menos he was the one who did the least work
3
al menos at least
hay al menos cien personas there are at least a hundred people; si al menos lloviera if only it would rain
de menos
hay siete de menos we're seven short; there are seven missing; me dieron un paquete con medio kilo de menos they gave me a packet which was half a kilo short o under weight; me han pagado dos libras de menos they have underpaid me by two pounds; darse de menos to underestimate o.s.; hacer a algn de menos to put sb down
echar de menos a algn to miss sb
ir a menos to come down in the world
lo menos diez at least ten
lo menos posible as little as possible; es lo menos que se puede esperar it's the least one can expect
eso es lo de menos that's the least of it
¡menos mal! thank goodness!
¡menos mal que habéis venido! thank goodness you've come!
era nada menos que un rey he was a king, no less
no es para menos quite right too
por lo menos at least
¡qué menos!
—le di un euro de propina —¡qué menos! "I tipped her a euro" — "that was the least you could do!"
¿qué menos que darle las gracias? the least we can do is say thanks!
quedarse en menos
no se quedó en menos he was not to be outdone
tener a menos hacer algo to consider it beneath o.s. to do sth
venir a menos to come down in the world
y menos
no quiero verle y menos visitarle I don't want to see him, let alone visit him
¡ya será menos! come off it!
adjective
1 (comparativo) (con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo) less; (con sustantivos contables) fewer
menos harina less flour
menos gatos fewer cats; aquí hay menos gente there are fewer people here
menos ... que
A tiene menos ventajas que B A has fewer advantages than B; Ana tiene menos años que Carlos Ana is younger than Carlos; no soy menos hombre que él I'm as much of a man as he is; este es menos coche que el anterior this is not as good a car as the last one
ser menos que
ganaremos porque son menos que nosotros we'll win because there are fewer of them than there are of us; para no ser menos que los vecinos to keep up with the neighbours
2 (superlativo) (con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo) least; (con sustantivos contables) fewest
el método que lleva menos tiempo the method which takes (the) least time; es el que menos culpa tiene he is the least to blame; el examen con menos errores the exam paper with the fewest mistakes
