Más Que or Más De ?

How do you say "more than" in Spanish? In translating a sentence such as "she has more than $5" (tiene más de cinco dólares) you should use the phrase más de, but for a sentence such as "she has more than I do" (tiene más que yo) the phrase to use is más que. Similarly, two phrases — menos que and menos de are used for "less than." This is explained further in our lesson on "more than" and "less than."

As you learn Spanish, you'll come across other instances where an English word or phrase can be translated in two (or more!) distinct ways. Some of them that can trip up beginners are these:

• Saber and conocer (both meaning "to know").
• Estar and ser (both meaning "to be").
• Ver and mirar (both can mean "to look").
• Jugar and tocar (both meaning "to play").

In each case, you can learn which is the correct word to use by following the most important rule of translation: Translate for meaning rather than word for word.