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March 22, 2021 by Carmen Rizzo Spanish Grammar 0 comments

When to Use ‘Más Que’ and ‘Más De’ in Spanish

Although más que and más de sound alike, their meanings are completely different.

Más in Spanish is a word that can be used as an adjective or an adverb to compare two or more objects, subjects, or situations. 

On the other hand, que—without an accent mark—is a relative pronoun used to introduce a clause. And finally, de is a preposition that indicates (in the context of this lesson) ownership, what objects are made of, and what something might contain. 

Más que can be translated to “more than,” “except,” and “rather than,” while más de means “more of” or “more than,” depending on the context of the sentence.

Keep reading to learn how to use both connectors like a native speaker! 

How to Use ‘Más que’ 

Más que is commonly used to make comparisons. It’s a flexible connector with several uses that will help you to communicate more easily and fluidly. Here are three of its main uses.

1. Comparison

You can use it to compare two or more people, actions, animals, objects and even hobbies! 

Mi papá come más que mi mamá.
My dad eats more than my mom.

Me gusta jugar fútbol más que verlo en la televisión.
I like to play football rather than watching it on TV.

Prefiero dibujar más que pintar.
I prefer drawing rather than painting.

Los aretes de plata brillan más que los de oro.
Silver earrings shine brighter than gold ones. 

Más que

2. Express Superiority or Inferiority 

This one can be a little bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll use it without a hitch! 

To use más que correctly in this case, you have to express what a person, animal, or object does better or worse than the other. Más will always precede an adjective or an adverb and que will follow it.

In this case, más + adjective + que, can be translated to: the comparative form of an adjective + than. 

Mi computadora es más nueva que la de mi hermano.
My computer is newer than my brother’s. 

Ramón corre más lento que Andrea.
Ramon runs slower than Andrea.

Tú eres más fuerte que la mayoría de personas.
You are stronger than most people.

La casa es más pequeña que las demás, pero tiene una bonita vista.
The house is smaller than the others, but has a pretty view.

3. Indicate Exclusivity

You can use this connector to indicate that nothing else but what is being stated is possible. 

Take a look at these examples:

Nadie más que yo se puede quedar a trabajar.
No one but me can stay to work.

No has leído más que medio libro. 
You have not read but half a book.

Nadie más que ella sabe la contraseña.
No one but her knows the password.

No has hecho más que quejarse.
You have done nothing but complain. 

When making a comparison, the noun and the verb in the second part of the sentence can be implied instead of being explicit. 

For example, you can say: 

Me gusta esta lección más que antes.
I like this lesson more than before.

If you want, you can make  the action in the second half of the sentence even more explicit:

Me gusta esta lección más que lo que me gustaba antes.
I like this lesson more than I liked it before. 

How to Use ‘Menos que’

Menos que means “less than” and is used just like más que for comparisons and to express superiority or inferiority. 

Mi gato pesa menos que mi perro.
My cat weighs less than my dog.

Rosa participa en clase menos que su hermana María.
Rosa participates in class less than her sister María.

Me gusta lavar los platos menos que cocinar.
I like to wash the dishes less than cooking. 

Los números se me dificultan menos que el inglés.
Numbers are less difficult to me than English.

To express superiority or inferiority with menos que use the same sentence structure than when you do it with más que:

Mi computadora es menos vieja que la de mi hermano.
My computer is less old than my brother’s.

Rocío camina menos rápido que su abuelita.
Rocio walks slower than her grandma. 

Tu eres menos desordenado que tu hermana.
You are less unorganised than your sister.

How to Use ‘Mas De’

Más de has several uses. In this section, you’ll learn how to use this phrase properly to express yourself in Spanish, just like a native speaker!  

1. Before Numbers

This is one of the simplest uses for más de. If you use it like this, the translation means “more than.”

No puedo comprar pizza porque cuesta más de Q30 y no tengo tanto dinero. 
I can’t buy pizza because it costs more than Q30, and I don’t have much money.

Pueden entrar más de veinte personas a este establecimiento.
More than twenty people can enter this establishment. 

Esa caja de juguetes tiene más de quince juegos de mesa.
That toy box has more than fifteen tabletop games. 

2. To Say ‘More Of’

You can use más de when you are asking for more, taking more or talking about more of something. 

¿Puedes darme más de ese café tan delicioso?
Can you give me more of that delicious coffee?

Quiero aprender más de los animales.
I want to learn more about animals. 

Paola agarró más de los dulces que había en la cocina.
Paola took more of those candies that were in the kitchen.

José compró más de esos marcadores. 
Jose brought more of those markers. 

3. To Compare Origins

This use is helpful when comparing the origin of two or more people. When you use más de in this context, you will add more information to a previous statement, so the use of the conjunction pero is necessary. 

¿En Guatemala viven muchos extranjeros de Suramérica? 
Do many foreigners from South America live in Guatemala?

Sí, pero más de Estados Unidos.
Yes, but more from the United States. 

Al festival vino mucha gente de Madrid, pero más de Andalucía.
A lot of people from Madrid came to the festival, but more from Andalucía. 

En verano viajan de todos lados a la playa, pero más del norte.
A lot of people travel to the beach from everywhere, but more from the north.

En tiempos de la conquista muchos europeos llegaron a Latino América, pero más de España.
In times of the conquest a lot of Europeans arrived in Latin America, but more from Spain.

4. To Compare Emotions

This particular use of más de is helpful to compare emotions that provoke an action. 

Yolanda está llorando más de enojo que de tristeza.
Yolanda is crying more of anger than of sadness.

Me reí más de nervios que porque fuera gracioso. 
I laughed more from nervousness than because it was funny. 

Se durmió más de aburrimiento que por cansancio. 
He fell asleep more from boredom than tiredness.

These sentences might sound weird in English, but in Spanish, it’s common to make these comparisons with this kind of sentence structure. 

How to Use ‘Menos de’

Menos de translates to “less than.” It follows some of the same rules as más de, like being used before numbers. 

El bus vendrá en menos de 20 minutos. 
The bus is coming in less than 20 minutes.

Puedes tomar una siesta de menos de 15 minutos. 
You can take a nap of less than 15 minutes.

Aquí encontrarás libros a menos de $40.
Here you will find books for less than $40.

Menos que can also mean “fewer than” and “less than.” In this case, a number does not necessarily follow menos que. Here are some examples of how to use it with this translation:

Los estudiantes que llegaron a la conferencia eran menos de los esperados. 
The students who attended the conference were fewer than expected. 

La ropa aquí cuesta menos de lo que cuesta en los centros comerciales.
Clothes here cost less than at the malls. 

La cantidad de gente que fue a la playa este año fue menos de lo que fue el año pasado.
The number of people who went to the beach this year was less than last year.

Although más and menos are antonyms, in this context they are not opposite to each other. Instead the use of más or menos depends on what you want to say and how you want to express yourself. 

‘Más que’/ ‘Más de’ Exercises

Test your newly acquired knowledge of más que and más de with the following exercises.

Exercise 1

Please read the sentence in English and translate it to Spanish. Don´t forget to use más que or más de. 

1. I like to eat pizza more than hamburgers. 

2. Can you serve me more of that fried rice? It is delicious! 

3. No one but him can save us. 

4. A lot of people go to the mountains to ski in winter, but more from the north. 

5. He cried more from boredom than a tantrum. 

Exercise 2

Choose between más que, más de, menos que, and menos de to complete the sentence.

1. Nuestro avión aborda en __________30 minutos. No tardes mucho. 

2. A mi hermana le gusta correr__________ a mi. 

3. En esta tienda puedes encontrar juegos de video a __________ $50 dólares. 

4. Los profesionales que llegaron a la reunión de fueron __________ de lo esperado.

5. Nadie __________ yo sé como hacer ese problema de matemática.

6. La nueva tableta gráfica es __________ grande __________  el modelo anterior.

7. José quiere que le des __________  este pastel porque está a dieta. 

8. El nuevo teléfono  de Apple es __________ caro __________ el que salió hace unos meses.

9. Los perros me gustan __________ que los gatos y las aves. 

10. Este ejercicio es __________ difícil __________ lo que esperaba.

Click here to see the answer key!

Time to Practice! 

Is time to master más que and más de. The key is to not give up and keep practicing your Spanish every day! Why not sign up for a free trial class to learn Spanish 1-on-1 with certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala? You can practice everything in this lesson. See for yourself how quickly you can attain fluency. You won’t be disappointed!

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Sign up for your FREE TRIAL CLASS today!

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar? Check these out!

  • 50 Useful Spanish Transition Words for Everyday Speech and Writing
  • Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You)
  • All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
  • The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish
  • A Guide to Double Negatives in Spanish
  • Ver Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF
  • Common Irregular Informal Commands in Spanish
  • Dialect vs Accent: Is It a Language, Dialect, or Accent?

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. Me gusta comer pizza más que hamburguesas.

2. ¿Puedes servirme más de ese arroz frito? Está delicioso!

3. Nadie más que él puede salvarnos.

4. Mucha gente va a las montañas a esquiar en invierno, pero más de el norte.

5. Él lloró más de aburrimiento que por un berrinche.

Exercise 2

1. menos de

2. más que, menos que

3. más de, menos de

4. más de, menos de

5. más que

6. más que, menos que

7. menos de

8. más que, menos que

9. más que, menos que

10. más que, menos que

  • Author
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Carmen Rizzo
Carmen Rizzo
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
I’m a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala with a B.A. in Psychology. I have a passion for teaching Sunday school in my spare time and for learning and sharing valuable information. I'm a cat lover who gets excited over cartoons, anime, and video games. I dabble in digital illustration and animation. I'm inspired by sharing my culture, traditions, food, and beliefs with others, while learning about theirs in return.
Carmen Rizzo
Latest posts by Carmen Rizzo (see all)
  • An Easy Vocabulary Guide to Describe the Post Office in Spanish - February 10, 2023
  • Guatemala’s Biggest, Most Colorful Market: Chichicastenango - December 28, 2022
  • 8 Sad Spanish Songs for When Your Heart Is Broken - December 6, 2022
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