Menos

menos is a word used in Spanish and Portuguese that translates roughly as “less” or “minus” in English. In mathematics and everyday arithmetic, it functions as the subtraction operator, as in cinco menos dos equals tres, and it is also used to denote negative numbers when placed before a numeral (menos cinco = -5). In ordinary speech, menos can be an adverb or determiner indicating a smaller amount, as in menos dinero or hay menos gente. It can also serve as a coordinating conjunction meaning “except” in phrases such as todos, menos Juan. In telling time, menos expresses minutes before the hour: son las cinco menos diez (4:50) or menos cuarto (quarter to).

Originating from Latin minus, meaning “smaller,” menos has cognates in other Romance languages, including Portuguese menos, Italian meno, and French moins, reflecting a shared root with the English word minus. In contemporary usage, the Spanish and Portuguese forms appear both as standalone words and as parts of fixed expressions related to quantity, comparison, and subtraction.

Usage notes: dialectal variation can affect nuance. In formal mathematics and finance, the subtraction operation is typically indicated with the symbol -, while menos is used when reading numbers aloud or expressing negative values. In colloquial speech, menos can emphasize smaller amounts or exclusions in ways that English speakers render with “less” or “except.”