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there are far fewer of them

1 FÁR

impression

* * *

n.

1) a means off passage, ship; bjarga fari á floti, to save a vessel qflaat; in compds., a trading vessel (Íslands-far, Englands-far);

2) passage; taka (fá, ráða) sér fari or far, to take a passage in a ship; beiðast fars, to ask for a passage; synja e-m fars, to deny one a passage; banna e-m f., to forbid one to sail (cf. farbann);

3) trace, print, track (Sveinki rak lömb sín til fjöru í förin); villast hundarnir farsins, the hounds lose the track; of et sama f., on the same subject;

4) life, conduct, behaviour; í fari konungsins in the king’s character;

5) state, condition (gefa þeir eigi gaum um hennar far) f. veðranna, the course of the winds; at fornu fari, of yore, of old.

* * *

1.

f. [Dan. faar], a sheep, D. N. ii. 312, Boldt 165; vide fær.

2.

n. [A. S. fær; Hel. fâr = dolus; Germ. fahr = treason, gefahr = danger; Engl. fear = terror; cp. also Germ. furcht:—but in the old Scandin. languages the word does not rightly mean either fear or danger; the mod. Dan. fare and Swed. fara are borrowed from Germ.]

1. evil passion, bale, harm, mischief; fár ok fjandskapr, Gísl. 125; eigi standa orð þín af litlu fári, baleful words, Fas. i. 195; lesa fár um e-n, to speak foul calumnies of one, Hm. 23; af fári, from evil passion, Og. 12. Hm. 151; er þú felldir mér fár af höndum, that thou brakest my spell, Og. 10; flytjandi fárs, bringing mischief, Am. 4; ef ek vissa þat fár fyrir, if I could foresee that bale, Skv. 2. 7; halda kvið til fárs e-m, to withhold the verdict to the injury of the other party, Grág. i. 58; verða e-m at fári, to be one’s bale, Korm. 12 (in a verse); full skal signa ok við fári sjá, i. e. make a sign over the cup to prevent harm in it, Sdm. 8; þat er fár mikit (‘tis a bad omen), ef þú fæti drepr, Skv. 2. 24; þá er hann réttlauss ef hann þiggr fár á sér, if he receives bodily harm, N. G. L. i. 255.

2. plague, esp. of animals; hunda-fár, sickness among dogs; kúa-fár, nauta-fár, cattle plague, cp. heljar-fár, morð-fár, murderous pestilence; urðar-fár, a weird plague, Sturl. ii. 213 (in a verse); feikna-fár, deadly pain, Pass. 2. 11; vera í fári, to be in an extremity; í dauðans fári, in the death-agony, etc.

β. of men, a dangerous illness; lá hann í þessu fári nær viku, Bs. i. 761; cp. fár-veikr, dangerously ill; fár er nokkurs-konar nauð, Edda 110, cp. far B.

γ. wrath; fár er reiði, Edda 110; vera í íllu fári (vide far B), to be bent on doing mischief.

3. as a law term, fraud, such as selling sand or dirt instead of flour or butter, defined N. G. L. i. 24; kaupa fals, flærð eða fár, 324.

COMPDS: fárhugr, fárleikr, fárliga, fárligr, fárramr, fárreiðr, fárskapr, fársótt, fársumar, fárveikr, fárverkr, fárviðri, fáryrði, fárskona, fársmaðr, fárssótt.

3.

fem. fá, neut. fátt; dat. fám; acc. fá ( paucos and paucam); fán (paucum); fár ( paucae and paucas), but in mod. usage dissyllabic, fáum, fáa, fáan, fáar: gen. pl. fára, mod. fárra:—compar. færi, mod. færri with a double r; superl. fæstr, in books of last century sometimes spelt færstr,—a form warranted neither by etymology nor pronunciation: færst, however, occurs in the old MSS. Arna-Magn. 132. Ld. 210: [Lat. paucus; Ulf. faus; A. S. feá Engl. few; Hel. fáh; O. H. G. foh; lost in mod. Germ.; Dan. and Swed. få or faa]

I. few; Margr við Mývatn, en Fár í Fiskilækjar-hverfi (a pun), Rd. 311, Glúm. 361; með fá liði, with few men, Eg. 51; færa sauðfé, fewer sheep, Grág. (Kb.) 159; færi sauði, i. 423; í fám orðum, in few words, Stj. 29; við fá menn, Fms. i. 35; við fára manna vitni, Ld. 260; færi öfundarmenn, 204; fleiri … færi, Grág. i. 38; fáir einir, only a few; fá eina menn, Sturl. iii. 3; hjón fá ein, Eg. 573, vide einn.

2. used as noun, few, in the sense of few or none, none at all; fáir hafa af því sigrask, Nj. 103; þeir kváðu fá fúnað hafa fyrir honum, 263.

β. esp. in old sayings; e. g. fár er fagr ef grætr, Fb. i. 566; fár veit hverju fagna skal, Kvöldv. i. 47; fár bregðr hinu betra ef hann veit hit verra, Nj. 227: fár er hvatr er hrörask tekr ef í bernsku er blauðr, Fm. 6; fár er full-rýninn, Am. 11; fár hyggr þegjanda þörf, Sl. 28; fás er fróðum vant, Hm. 107; fátt er of vandlega hugat. Kvöldv. ii. 198; fátt veit sá er sefr, Mork. 36; fátt er svo fyrir öllu íllt að ekki boði nokkuð gott; fátt segir af einum, Volks. 62; fátt er ramara en forneskjan, Grett. 144; fátt er sköpum ríkra, Fs. 23; fár gengr of sköp norna, Km. 24; fátt er betr látið en efni eru til, Band. 2; fár er vamma vanr, Mirm. 68; fátt veit fyrr en reynt er, Fms. vi. 155; fátt gat ek þegjandi þar, Hm. 104. Many of these sayings are household words, and this use of the word is typical of the dry northern humour.

II. metaph. dismal, cold, reserved; Sigurðr konungr hafði verit nokkut fár (dismal, in low spirits) öndverðan vetr, en nú var hann glaðr ok spurall, Fms. iv. 82; varð hann fyrst fár ok úkátr, 192; vóru menn allir fáir við þá, v. 307; Vigdis varð fá um, Vigdis became silent about it, i. e. disliked it much, Sturl. iii. 180; var þá Gunnarr við hana lengi fár, for a long time G. was cold to her, Nj. 59.

2. neut. fátt, coldness, coolness; fátt var með þeim Rúti um samfarar, there was coolness between R. and his wife, Nj. 11; var fátt um með þeim bræðrum, 2, Eg. 199; var et fæsta með þeim, Ld. 234; verið hefir fátt með okkr, Gísl. 100: fátt kom á með þeim Gretti, Grett. 99.

III. neut., konungr svarar fá (dat.), Ó. H. 94; Guðrún talaði hér fæst um, Ld. 210; var eigi boðit færa en hundraði, not fewer than a hundred, Nj. 17; fátt af þeirra mönnum, only a few of their men, Fms. v. 290; fátt eina, only a few, Ld. 328: with gen., fátt manna, few men, Nj. 130; fátt góðs, but little good, Hom. 38; fátt einna hverra hluta, few of things, i. e. few things, Fms. iv. 175: þeir ugðu fátt at sér, they heeded them but little, Fms. vii. 201; hlutask til fás, Hrafn. 17.

β. as adv., in the phrases, sofa fátt, to sleep but little, be wakeful; leika fátt, to play but little, i. e. be in a dismal humour; tala fátt, to speak but little; syrgja fátt, to sorrow but little, i. e. to be gay, cp. Lex. Poët.

γ. with numerals, less than, short of, minus, save; vetri fátt í fjóra tigu, i. e. forty years save one, i. e. thirty-nine, Fms. x. 2, v. l.; tveimr ertogum fátt í átta merkr, eight marks less two ortogs, B. K. 84; lítið fátt í fimm tigi vetra, little short of fifty years, Fms. iii. 60; hálfum eyri fátt á átta merkr, eight marks less half an ounce; þremr mörkum fátt á laup, a bushel less three marks, B. K. 84, 11: at fæstu, the fewest, least, the minimum; tveir et fæsta, two at least, Grág. i. 9; sex menn et fæsta, 378; cp. the neut. afl-fátt, svefn-fátt, dag-fátt, q. v.

Íslensk-ensk orðabók > FÁR
2 nettement

nettement [nεtmɑ̃]

adverb

a. ( = clairement) clearly

• je lui ai dit nettement ce que j'en pensais I told him frankly what I thought of it

b. ( = incontestablement) [s'améliorer, se différencier] distinctly ; [mériter] definitely

• j'aurais nettement préféré ne pas venir I would have definitely preferred not to come

• ça va nettement mieux things are distinctly better

• coûter nettement moins cher to cost much less

• ils sont nettement moins nombreux there are far fewer of them

• arriver nettement en avance to arrive well in advance

* * *
nɛtmɑ̃
adverbe

1) [augmenter, se détériorer] markedly; [devancer] clearly; [préférer] definitely

nettement meilleur — decidedly better

2) [voir, dire] clearly; [refuser] flatly; [se souvenir] distinctly

* * *
nɛtmɑ̃ adv
1) (= distinctement) clearly

2) (avec comparatif, superlatif) far

nettement mieux — far better

nettement plus cher — far more expensive

Ce magasin est nettement plus cher. — This shop is far more expensive.

nettement plus gros — far bigger

* * *

nettement adv

1 ( indiscutablement) [augmenter, se détériorer] markedly; [devancer] clearly; [préférer] definitely; nettement meilleur/plus propre/moins froid decidedly better/cleaner/warmer; gagner nettement to be a clear winner;

2 ( sans ambiguïté) [soutenir, dire] clearly; [refuser] flatly;

3 ( distinctement) [voir, sentir, séparer] clearly; [se souvenir] distinctly.

[nɛtmɑ̃] adverbe

1. [distinctement] clearly, distinctly

2. [avec franchise] clearly, frankly, bluntly

je lui ai dit très nettement ce que je pensais de lui I told him bluntly what I thought of him

3. [beaucoup] definitely, markedly

il est nettement plus fort que Paul he's much stronger than Paul

j'aurais nettement préféré ne pas y être I would definitely have preferred not to be there

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > nettement
3 few

fju:
1. прил.
1) мало, немногие, немного His ideas are very difficult, and few people understand them. ≈ Его идеи очень сложны, и мало людей понимает их. one of our few pleasures ≈ одно из немногих наших удовольствий They may be fewer in number than was supposed. ≈ Их может оказаться меньше, чем предполагалось. Syn: not many
2) (а few) несколько His ideas are very difficult, but a few people understand them. ≈ Его идеи очень сложны, но некоторые люди понимают их. every few miles ≈ каждые несколько миль for the past few years ≈ за последние несколько лет quite a few not a few a good few few and far between as few as some few in few in a few words Syn: several, some
2. сущ.
1) незначительное число, немногие, мало precious, very few ≈ очень немногие, очень мало there are precious few of them left ≈ их осталось очень мало Many are invited but few are chosen. ≈ Многие приглашены, но немногие выбраны. few if any ≈ почти никто;
почти ничего
2) несколько, некоторые Each volunteer spent one night a week in the cathedral. A few spent two. ≈ Каждый из добровольцев один раз в неделю ночевал в соборе. Некоторые ночевали два раза в неделю. I have only a few left. ≈ У меня осталось всего лишь несколько. the few ≈ меньшинство ∙ to have a few too many ≈ разг. выпить слишком много the fewer the better ≈ чем меньше, тем лучше немногие;
незначительное количество - * of the inhabitants were to be seen только немногих жителей можно было увидеть мало кто;
почти никто - * of them had travelled мало кто из них путешествовал - there are very * of us нас очень мало - there are very * of us who can remember почти никто из нас не помнит - a * (of) немного;
незначительное количество - a * thought otherwise немногие думали иначе - a good *, quite a * большое /порядочное/ количество - there were a good * of them их было немало - a good * of the inhabitants добрая половина населения /жителей/ - not a * много, большое количество;
некоторые, некоторое количество - we shall only be a * нас будет немного - I know a * of them я знаю кое-кого из них - the * меньшинство;
избранные - the thinking * думающее меньшинство - the fortunate * немногие счастливцы - some * незначительное число, несколько, немного > * know and *er care немногие знают, а таких, кто хочет знать, еще меньше > in * в нескольких словах, кратко немногие, немного, мало - he has but * chances of success у него мало шансов на успех - with * exceptions за редким исключением - one of his * pleasures одно из его немногих удовольствий - during the last * days за последние несколько дней - * people are able to undestand him мало кто способен понять его - every * hours через каждые несколько часов - a * несколько - a * hours несколько часов - a * people were present присутствовало всего несколько человек - I know a * people who... я знаю людей, которые - I have only a * pounds у меня всего только несколько фунтов - the chairman said a * words председатель сказал несколько слов - in a * minutes через несколько минут, скоро, вскоре - he went away for a * days он уехал на несколько дней - I'd like a * more of these (berries) положите /дайте/ мне, пожалуйста, еще ( ягод) преим. predic немногочисленный - such occasions are * такие случаи очень редки - his friends are * у него мало друзей > * and far between немногочисленные и отдаленные большим промежутком времени и расстоянием > our meetings are * and far between мы редко встречаемся > the trees were * and far between деревья росли редко ~ немногие, немного, мало;
few possessions скудные пожитки;
he is a man of few words он немногословен;
every few hours каждые несколько часов few незначительное число;
few could tell мало кто мог сказать;
few if any почти никто;
почти ничего;
the few меньшинство few незначительное число;
few could tell мало кто мог сказать;
few if any почти никто;
почти ничего;
the few меньшинство ~ немногие, немного, мало;
few possessions скудные пожитки;
he is a man of few words он немногословен;
every few hours каждые несколько часов ~ a (а ~) несколько;
quite a few порядочное число, довольно много in ~ уст., in a ~ words кратко;
в нескольких словах;
few and far between отделенные большим промежутком времени;
редкие few незначительное число;
few could tell мало кто мог сказать;
few if any почти никто;
почти ничего;
the few меньшинство few незначительное число;
few could tell мало кто мог сказать;
few if any почти никто;
почти ничего;
the few меньшинство ~ немногие, немного, мало;
few possessions скудные пожитки;
he is a man of few words он немногословен;
every few hours каждые несколько часов not a ~, a good ~ разг. порядочное число;
добрая половина;
some few незначительное число, несколько, немного ~ немногие, немного, мало;
few possessions скудные пожитки;
he is a man of few words он немногословен;
every few hours каждые несколько часов his friends are ~ у него мало друзей;
his visitors are few у него гости редки his friends are ~ у него мало друзей;
his visitors are few у него гости редки in ~ уст., in a ~ words кратко;
в нескольких словах;
few and far between отделенные большим промежутком времени;
редкие not a ~, a good ~ разг. порядочное число;
добрая половина;
some few незначительное число, несколько, немного not: ~ a few многие;
немало;
not too well довольно скверно ~ a (а ~) несколько;
quite a few порядочное число, довольно много quite: ~ довольно;
до некоторой степени;
более или менее;
quite a few довольно много, порядочно;
quite a long time довольно долго select ~ немногие избранные not a ~, a good ~ разг. порядочное число;
добрая половина;
some few незначительное число, несколько, немного some: ~ несколько, немного;
some few несколько;
some miles more to go осталось пройти еще несколько миль;
some years ago несколько лет тому назад

Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > few
4 peu

peu [pø]

━━━━━━━━━

1. adverb

2. indefinite pronoun

3. masculine noun

━━━━━━━━━

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Lorsque peu fait partie d'une locution comme avant peu, sous peu, reportez-vous à l'autre mot.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. <

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► peu se traduit souvent par l'équivalent anglais de pas beaucoup.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

   a. ( = pas beaucoup) not much

• il mange peu he doesn't eat much

• il lit peu he doesn't read much

• il lit assez peu he doesn't read very much

• il lit très peu he reads very little

• je le connais trop peu I don't know him well enough

► peu de (quantité) not much ; (nombre) not many

• nous avons eu peu de soleil we didn't have much sunshine

• nous avons eu très peu de pluie we've had very little rain

• peu de gens connaissent cet endroit not many people know this place

• il y a peu d'enfants dans cet immeuble there aren't many children in this building

• en peu de mots in a few words

• il est ici pour peu de temps he's not staying long

• il faut peu de chose pour le choquer it doesn't take much to shock him

• peu de monde few people

   b. ( = pas très) not very

• il est peu sociable he's not very sociable

• c'est peu probable it's not very likely

• ils sont trop peu nombreux there are too few of them

• un auteur assez peu connu a relatively unknown author

   c. ( = pas longtemps) shortly

• elle est arrivée peu après she arrived shortly afterwards

• peu avant 11 heures shortly before 11 o'clock

   d. ( = rarement) ils se voient peu they don't see each other very often

• elle sort peu she doesn't go out much

   e. (locutions)

► peu à peu little by little

• peu à peu, l'idée a gagné du terrain little by little the idea gained ground► à peu près about

• il pèse à peu près 50 kilos he weighs about 50 kilos► de peu

• il est plus âgé de peu he's a little older

• il l'a battu de peu he just beat him

• il a manqué le train de peu he just missed the train► pour peu que + subjonctif if

• pour peu qu'il soit sorti sans sa clé... if he should have come out without his key...

2. <

• bien peu le savent very few people know

• peu d'entre eux sont restés not many of them stayed

3. <

( = petite quantité) little

• j'ai oublié le peu de français que j'avais appris I've forgotten the little French I'd learnt

• le peu de cheveux qui lui reste what little hair he has left

► un (petit) peu a bit a little

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► un peu se traduit souvent par l'expression a bit, qui est plus familière que a little ; de même, on peut dire a bit of au lieu de a little pour traduire un peu de.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• il te ressemble un peu he looks a bit like you

• restez encore un peu stay a bit longer

• essaie de manger un peu try to eat a little

• il travaille un peu trop he works a bit too much

• c'est un peu fort ! that's a bit much! (inf)

• c'est un peu grand it's a bit big

• il y a un peu moins de bruit it is a little less noisy

• donnez-m'en juste un petit peu just give me a little bit

• elle va un tout petit peu mieux she's a little better

• il y a un peu plus d'un an just over a year ago

• on trouve ce produit un peu partout you can get this product just about anywhere

• un peu plus et il oubliait son rendez-vous he very nearly forgot his appointment

• je me demande un peu où sont les enfants I'm just wondering where the children are

• un peu ! (inf) and how! (inf)

• il nous a menti, et pas qu'un peu ! (inf) he lied to us bigtime! (inf)

► un peu de a little a bit of

• un peu d'eau a little water

• un peu de patience a little patience

• un peu de silence, s'il vous plaît ! can we have a bit of quiet please!► pour un peu

• pour un peu, il m'aurait accusé he all but accused me

* * *

Note: Les emplois de peu avec avant, d'ici, depuis, sous sont traités respectivement sous chacun de ces mots

Il sera également utile de se reporter à la note d'usage sur les quantités
pø
1.

adverbe

1) ( modifiant un verbe) not much

elle gagne assez peu — she doesn't earn very much

elle gagne très peu — she earns very little

le radiateur chauffe peu — the radiator doesn't give out much heat

je sais me contenter de peu — I'm satisfied with very little

deux semaines c'est trop peu — two weeks isn't long enough

si peu que ce soit — however little

tu ne vas pas t'en faire pour si peu — you're not going to worry about such a little thing

la catastrophe a été évitée de peu — disaster was only just avoided

ça importe peu — it doesn't really matter

c'est peu dire — to say the least

il est aussi borné que son père et ce n'est pas peu dire! — (colloq) he's as narrow-minded as his father and that's saying a lot!

un homme comme on en voit peu — the kind of man you don't often come across

très peu pour moi! — (colloq) fig no thanks! (colloq)

2) ( modifiant un adjectif) not very

assez peu connu — little-known

ils se sentent très peu concernés par... — they feel quite unconcerned about...

nous étions peu nombreux — there weren't many of us

un individu peu recommandable — a disreputable character

elle n'est pas peu fière — she's more than a little proud

2.

pronom indéfini

peu leur font confiance — few ou not many people trust them

3.

peu de déterminant indéfini

1) ( avec un nom dénombrable)

peu de mots — few words

2) ( avec un nom non dénombrable)

peu de temps — little time

en peu de temps — in next to no time

il y a peu de bruit — there's not much noise

c'est peu de chose — it's not much

avec peu de chose elle a fait un repas délicieux — with very little she made a delicious meal

on est bien peu de chose! — we're so insignificant!

4.

nom masculin

1) ( petite quantité)

le peu de — the little [confiance, liberté]; the few [livres, amis]

il a voulu montrer le peu d'importance qu'il attachait à l'affaire — he wanted to show how unimportant the matter was to him

2) ( manque)

le peu de — the lack of

5.

un peu locution adverbiale

1) ( dans une mesure faible) a little, a bit

reste encore un peu — stay a little longer

‘elle aime le fromage?’ - ‘oui, pas qu'un peu (colloq)!’ — ‘does she like cheese?’ - ‘does she ever (colloq)!’

2) ( modifiant un adverbe) a little, a bit

parle un peu moins fort — keep your voice down

elle se maquille un peu trop — she wears a bit too much make-up

un peu plus de gens — a few more people

un peu moins de — slightly less [pluie]; slightly fewer [gens]

amène tes amis, un peu plus un peu moins... — bring your friends, another two or three people won't make much difference

‘il avait l'air un peu contrarié’ - ‘un peu beaucoup même (colloq)’ — ‘he looked a bit annoyed’ - ‘more than a bit’

3) ( emploi stylistique) just

répète un peu pour voir! — (colloq) you just try saying that again!

je vous demande un peu! — (colloq) I ask you!

il sait un peu (colloq) de quoi il parle — he does know what he's talking about

4) ( emploi par antiphrase) a little

tu ne serais pas un peu jaloux toi? — aren't you just a little jealous?

5) (colloq) ( pour renforcer une affirmation)

il est un peu bien ton copain! — your boyfriend is a bit of all right (colloq) GB ou a good-looker! (colloq)

‘tu le ferais toi?’ - ‘un peu (que je le ferais)!’ — ‘would you do it?’ - ‘I sure would (colloq)!’

6.

peu à peu locution adverbiale gradually, little by little

7.

pour un peu locution adverbiale

pour un peu ils se seraient battus — they very nearly had a fight

8.

pour peu que locution conjonctive if

pour peu qu'il ait bu, il va nous raconter sa vie — if he's had anything at all to drink, he'll tell us his life story

* * *
pø
1. adv

1) (modifiant un verbe) not much

Il boit peu. — He doesn't drink much.

Il voyage peu. — He doesn't travel much.

J'ai peu mangé à midi. — I didn't eat much for lunch.

2) (modifiant un adjectif) not very

Il est peu bavard. — He's not very talkative.

3) (modifiant un adverbe)

peu avant — shortly before

peu après — shortly afterwards

4) (modifiant un nom)

peu de (avec nom pluriel) — not many, few, (avec nom singulier) not a lot of, not much

peu de gens — not many people, few people

peu d'arbres — not many trees, few trees

Il y a peu de bons films au cinéma. — There aren't many good films on at the cinema.

Elle a peu d'amis. — She hasn't got many friends.

Il reste peu de lait. — There isn't much milk left., There isn't a lot of milk left.

Il a peu d'espoir. — He hasn't got much hope., He has little hope.

Il a peu d'espoir de réussir. — He doesn't have much hope of succeeding.

Il lui reste peu d'argent. — He hasn't got much money left.

c'est peu de chose — it's nothing, it's not much

pour peu de temps — for a short while

à peu de frais — for very little cost

5) (autres locutions)

peu à peu — little by little

à peu près — just about, more or less

J'ai à peu près fini. — I've just about finished., I've more or less finished.

à peu près 10 kg — about 10 kg, around 10 kg

à peu près deux heures — about two hours, around two hours

Le voyage prend à peu près deux heures. — The journey takes about two hours., The journey takes around two hours.

pour peu qu'il fasse — if he should do, if by any chance he does

avant peu — before long

sous peu — shortly

depuis peu (au présent) — for a short while, for a little while

Je suis parisien depuis peu. — I've only been living in Paris for a short while., (au passé) a short while ago, a little while ago

Il est rentré depuis peu. — He came back a short while ago.

de peu — only just

Chantal a manqué son train de peu. — Chantal only just missed her train.

Il est de peu mon cadet. — He's just a bit younger than me.

2. nm

1)

le peu de gens qui — the few people who

le peu de sable qui — what little sand, the little sand which

2)

un peu (emploi pronominal) — a little

J'en voudrais un peu. — I'd like a little., (emploi adverbial, avec adjectif) a little, a bit

Elle est un peu timide. — She's a bit shy., She's a little shy.

un peu de — a little, a bit of

un peu de gâteau — a bit of cake

un peu de lait — a little milk, a bit of milk

un peu d'espoir — a little hope, a bit of hope

un petit peu — a little bit

un petit peu de crème — a little bit of cream

un peu plus de [vent, sucre, personnes, voitures] — slightly more

un peu moins de [vent, sucre] — slightly less, [personnes, voitures] slightly fewer

3) (autres locutions)

pour un peu il...; un peu plus et il... — he very nearly..., he all but...

essayez un peu! — just try it!

3. pron

few

peu le savent — few people know

* * *

peu

❢ Les emplois de peu avec avant, d'ici, depuis, sous sont traités respectivement sous chacun de ces mots. Il sera également utile de se reporter à la note d'usage sur les quantités ⇒ Les quantités.

A adv

1 ( modifiant un verbe) not much; il travaille/dort/parle peu he doesn't work/sleep/talk much; elle gagne assez peu she doesn't earn very much; elle gagne très/trop peu she earns very/too little; le radiateur chauffe peu the radiator doesn't give out much heat; je sors assez/très peu I don't go out very much/very much at all; je sais me contenter de peu I'm satisfied with very little; 40 euros/un demi-litre/1,50 m, c'est (bien) peu 40 euros/half a litre^GB/1,50 m, that's not (very) much; 20 personnes, c'est peu 20 people, that's not many; dix minutes/deux mois ça fait peu ten minutes/two months, that's not long; deux semaines c'est trop peu two weeks isn't long enough; si peu que ce soit however little, no matter how little; tu ne vas pas t'en faire pour si peu you're not going to worry about such a little thing; je ne vais pas me casser la tête pour si peu I'm not going to rack my brains over such a little thing; il leur en faut peu pour pleurer/paniquer it doesn't take much to make them cry/panic; la catastrophe a été évitée de peu disaster was only just avoided; tu les as ratés de peu you've just missed them; il est mon aîné de peu he's slightly older than me; j'aime peu sa façon de dévisager les gens I don't much care for the way he stares at people; ça compte or importe peu it doesn't really matter; la cuisine n'est pas très bonne, et c'est peu dire the food isn't very good to say the least; il est aussi borné que son père et ce n'est pas peu dire○! he's as narrow-minded as his father and that's saying a lot!; un homme comme on en voit or fait○ peu the kind of man you don't often come across; très peu pour moi○! fig no thanks○!;

2 ( modifiant un adjectif) not very; peu soigneux/ambitieux/fier not very tidy/ambitious/proud; il est très peu jaloux he's not at all jealous; c'est un endroit assez peu connu it's a relatively little-known spot; cet endroit trop peu connu des touristes this spot which is sadly little known to tourists; pour les personnes trop peu qualifiées for people who haven't got enough qualifications; ils se sentent très ou fort peu concernés par… they feel quite unconcerned about…; nous étions peu nombreux there weren't many of us; nous étions très/trop peu nombreux there were very/too few of us; un individu peu recommandable a disreputable character; elle n'est pas peu fière she's more than a little proud.

B pron indéf peu lui font confiance few ou not many people trust him/her; il a écrit beaucoup de livres, peu lui survivront he has written many books, few will outlive him.

C peu de dét indéf

1 ( avec un nom dénombrable) peu de mots/d'occasions few words/opportunities;

2 ( avec un nom non dénombrable) peu de temps/d'espoir little time/hope; en peu de temps in next to no time; j'ai peu de temps pour le faire I haven't got much time to do it; il y a peu de changement there's little change; il y a peu de bruit there's not much noise; il est tombé peu de neige/pluie cet hiver there hasn't been much snow/rain this winter; il a peu de patience he's not very patient; c'est peu de chose it's not much; cela représente peu de chose it stands for little; avec peu de chose elle a fait un repas délicieux with very little she made a delicious meal; on est bien peu de chose! we're so insignificant!; il y a peu de visiteurs/divergences there are few ou not many visitors/differences; très peu de personnes sont atteintes very few people are affected; en peu de mots/jours in a few words/days; je sais peu de choses sur lui I don't know much about him; il y a peu de chances qu'il accepte he's unlikely to accept; la proposition a peu de chances d'aboutir the proposal has little chance of getting through.

D nm

1 ( petite quantité) le peu de the little [importance, confiance, pluie, liberté]; the few [livres, souvenirs, amis]; il a oublié le peu d'anglais qu'il savait he's forgotten the ou what little English he knew; elle s'est fait voler le peu d'objets qu'il lui restait she was robbed of the few things she had left; je vais dépenser le peu d'argent qu'il me reste I'm going to spend the ou what little money I've got left; il a voulu montrer le peu d'importance qu'il attachait à l'affaire he wanted to show how unimportant the matter was to him; je leur ai dit le peu que je savais I told them the ou what little I knew; il a dépensé le peu qu'il lui restait he spent what little he had left;

2 ( manque) le peu de the lack of; malgré le peu d'intérêt manifesté despite the lack of interest; j'ai remarqué ton peu d'enthousiasme I've noticed your lack of enthusiasm; ton peu d'appétit m'inquiète your lack of appetite is worrying me.

E un peu loc adv

1 ( dans une mesure faible) a little, a bit; mange un peu eat a little; cela m'inquiète/m'énerve/m'ennuie un peu it worries me/annoys me/bothers me a little ou a bit; ça m'agace plus qu'un peu○ it annoys me to say the least; le rôti est un peu brûlé the roast is a bit ou slightly burned; elle est un peu médium/poète○ she's a bit of a ou something of a medium/poet; tu ne serais pas un peu casse-cou? you're a bit of a daredevil, aren't you?; dors/attends/reste encore un peu sleep/wait/stay a little longer; ‘il a plu?’-‘pas qu'un peu○!’ ‘did it rain?’-‘did it ever○!’; ‘elle aime le fromage?’-‘oui, pas qu'un peu!’ ‘does she like cheese?’-‘does she ever○!’;

2 ( modifiant un adverbe) a little, a bit; mange un peu plus/moins eat a bit more/less; parle un peu plus fort speak a little ou a bit louder; parle un peu moins fort keep your voice down; va un peu moins/plus vite go a bit slower/faster; il fait un peu moins froid qu'hier it's a little less cold than yesterday; il fait un peu plus froid qu'hier it's slightly ou a little colder than yesterday; un peu au-dessous/au-dessus de la moyenne slightly below/above average; elle se maquille un peu trop she wears a bit too much make-up; un peu plus de bruit/vent a bit more noise/wind; un peu plus de gens/problèmes a few more people/problems; un peu moins de slightly less [pluie, humour]; slightly fewer [gens, tableaux]; peux-tu me donner un tout petit peu plus de carottes can you give me just a few more carrots; amène tes amis, un peu plus un peu moins tu sais… bring your friends, another two or three people won't make much difference; donne-moi ton linge à laver, un peu plus un peu moins… give me your laundry, a bit more won't make any difference; ‘il avait l'air un peu contrarié’-‘un peu beaucoup même○’ ‘he looked a bit annoyed’-‘more than a bit’;

3 ( emploi stylistique) just; arrête un peu de faire l'idiot! just stop behaving like an idiot!; répète un peu pour voir○! you just try saying that again!; vise un peu la perruque○! just look at the wig!; réfléchis un peu just think; je vous demande un peu○! I ask you!; il sait un peu de quoi il parle○ he does know what he's talking about;

4 ( emploi par antiphrase) a little; tu ne serais pas un peu jaloux toi? aren't you just a little jealous?; ton histoire est un peu tirée par les cheveux your story is a little far-fetched to say the least; c'est un peu tard! it's a bit late!; tu exagères ou pousses○ un peu! you're pushing it a bit○!;

5 ○( pour renforcer une affirmation) il est un peu bien ton copain! your boyfriend is a bit of all right○!; ‘tu le ferais toi?’-‘un peu (que je le ferais)!’ ‘would you do it?’-‘I sure would○!’; comme organisateur il se pose un peu là! as an organizer he's great!

F peu à peu loc adv gradually, little by little; les nuages se dissiperont peu à peu the clouds will gradually clear.

G pour un peu loc adv very nearly; pour un peu ils se seraient battus they very nearly had a fight; pour un peu il m'aurait insulté! he very nearly insulted me!

H pour peu que loc conj if; pour peu qu'il ait bu, il va nous raconter sa vie if he's had anything at all to drink, he'll tell us his life story.

[pø] adverbe

A.[EMPLOYÉ SEUL]

1. [modifiant un verbe] little, not much

il mange/parle peu he doesn't eat/talk much

je le connais peu I don't know him well

c'est peu le connaître it just shows how little you know him

il vient très peu he comes very rarely, he very seldom comes

on s'est très peu vu we saw very little of each other

j'ai trop peu confiance en elle I don't trust her enough

2. [modifiant un adjectif, un adverbe etc] not very

une avenue peu fréquentée a quiet street

il est assez peu soigneux he doesn't take much care

l'alibi est fort peu crédible the alibi is highly implausible

peu avant shortly ou not long before

peu après soon after, shortly ou not long after

je ne suis pas peu fier du résultat I'm more than a little proud of the result

B.[EMPLOI NOMINAL]

1. (avec déterminant) [indiquant la faible quantité]

le peu que tu gagnes the little you earn

(sans déterminant)

il vit de peu he lives off very little

il est mon aîné de peu he's only slightly older than me

il a raté son examen de peu (familier) he just failed his exam, he failed his exam by a hair's breadth

c'est peu it's not much

hommes/gens de peu (littéraire) worthless men/people

c'est peu (que) de le dire, encore faut-il le faire! that's easier said than done!

c'est peu dire that's an understatement, that's putting it mildly

ce n'est pas peu dire! and that's saying something!

très peu pour moi! (familier) not on your life!

2. [dans le temps]

ils sont partis il y a peu they left a short while ago, they haven't long left

d'ici peu very soon, before long

vous aurez de mes nouvelles avant peu you'll hear from me before long

je travaille ici depuis peu I've only been working here for a while, I haven't been working here long

3. [quelques personnes] a few (people)

nous étions peu à le croire only a few of us believed it

C.[PRÉCÉDÉ DE 'UN']

1. [modifiant un verbe]

un peu a little, a bit

je le connais un peu I know him a little ou a bit

reste un peu avec moi stay with me for a while

veux-tu manger un peu? do you want something to eat?

pousse-toi un (tout) petit peu move up a (little) bit

viens un peu par là come here a minute

pose-lui un peu la question, et tu verras! just ask him, and you'll see!

fais voir un peu... let me have a look...

tu l'as vu? — un peu! (familier) did you see it? — you bet I did ou and how!

un peu que je vais lui dire ce que je pense! (familier) I'll give him a piece of my mind, don't you worry (about that)!

2. [modifiant un adjectif, un adverbe etc]

un peu a little, a bit

je suis un peu pressée I'm in a bit of a hurry

il est un peu poète he's a bit of a poet

un peu partout just about ou pretty much everywhere

un peu plus a little ou bit more

un peu plus de

a. [suivi d'un nom comptable] a few more

b. [suivi d'un nom non comptable] a little (bit) more

un peu moins a little ou bit less

roule un peu moins vite drive a little more slowly

un peu moins de

a. [suivi d'un nom comptable] slightly fewer, not so many

b. [suivi d'un nom non comptable] a little (bit) less

nous avons un peu moins de difficultés we're not having quite so many difficulties

un peu trop a little ou bit too (much)

il en fait vraiment un peu trop! he's really making too much of it!

un peu beaucoup (familier) a bit much

tu as bu un peu beaucoup hier soir (familier) you certainly had a few last night

elle est jolie — un peu, oui! (familier) she's pretty — just a bit!

un peu plus et l'évier débordait! another minute and the sink would have overflowed!

un peu plus et on se serait cru au bord de la mer you could almost imagine that you were at the seaside

un peu plus, et je partais I was just about to leave

un peu plus et je me faisais écraser! I was within an inch of being run over!

peu à peu locution adverbiale

little by little, bit by bit, gradually

on s'habitue, peu à peu you get used to things, bit by bit ou gradually

————————

peu de locution déterminante

1. [suivi d'un nom non comptable] not much, little

[suivi d'un nom comptable] not many, few

cela a peu d'intérêt it's of little interest

peu de temps: je ne reste que peu de temps I'm only staying for a short while, I'm not staying long

il n'a que peu de temps à me consacrer he can only give me a small amount of time

peu de temps avant/après not long before/after

il y avait peu de neige there wasn't much snow

j'ai peu d'amis I have few friends, I don't have many friends

en peu de mots in a few words

on est peu de chose what an insignificant thing man is

c'est peu de chose it's nothing

2. [avec un déterminant]

le peu de

a. [suivi d'un nom comptable] the ou what few

b. [suivi d'un nom non comptable] the ou what little

le peu de connaissances que j'ai the ou what few acquaintances I have

le peu de fois où je l'ai vu on the few ou rare occasions when I've seen him

le peu d'expérience que j'avais what little experience I had

son peu d'enthousiasme his lack of enthusiasm

avec ce peu de matériel/d'idées with such limited material/ideas

peu ou prou locution adverbiale

(littéraire)

more or less

————————

pour peu que locution conjonctive

pour peu qu'il le veuille, il réussira if he wants to, he'll succeed

pour un peu locution adverbiale

pour un peu il m'accuserait! he's all but accusing me!

pour un peu, j'oubliais mes clés I nearly forgot my keys

————————

quelque peu locution adverbiale

(soutenu)

1. [modifiant un verbe] just a little

2. [modifiant un adjectif] somewhat, rather

il était quelque peu éméché he was somewhat ou rather tipsy

————————

quelque peu de locution déterminante

(soutenu)

not a little

————————

si peu que locution conjonctive

si peu que j'y aille, j'apprécie toujours beaucoup l'opéra although I don't go very often, I always like the opera very much

————————

si peu... que locution conjonctive

si peu réaliste qu'il soit however unrealistic he may be

————————

sous peu locution adverbiale

before long, in a short while

vous recevrez sous peu les résultats de vos analyses you will receive the results of your tests in a short while

————————

un peu de locution déterminante

a little (bit) of

prends un peu de gâteau have a little ou some cake

un peu de tout a bit of everything

avec un peu de chance... with a little luck...

allons, un peu de patience! come on, let's be patient!

avec un (tout) petit peu de bonne volonté... with (just) a little willingness...

tu l'as quitté par dépit? — il y a un petit peu de ça so you left him in a fit of pique? — that was partly it ou that was part of the reason

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > peu

5 few

[fjuː] 1.
(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile

1) (not many) pochi

few visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere

very few houses — pochissime case

on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...

their needs are few — hanno poche necessità

to be few in number — essere pochi di numero

with few exceptions — con rare eccezioni

2) (some, several)

every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni

over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire

these past few days — nei giorni scorsi

3) a few qualche, alcuni

a few people, houses — alcune persone, case

I would like a few more — ne vorrei ancora qualcuno

quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone

we've lived here for a good few years — viviamo qui da un bel po' di anni

a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima

in a few minutes — tra qualche minuto
2.
pronome

1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)

few of us succeeded — pochi di noi ci sono riusciti

there are so few of them that — sono talmente pochi che

there are four too few — ne mancano quattro

as few as four people turned up — sono arrivate soltanto quattro persone

2) (some)

a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi

I only need a few — me ne servono solo alcuni

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany — un buon numero di turisti viene dalla Germania

a good few of the houses — un bel po' di case
3.
nome

the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che

it appeals only to the few — piace solo a una minoranza (di persone)

••

to be few and far between — essere rarissimi

to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
••
Note:

When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below

* * *
[fju:]
adjective, pronoun

(not many; a very small number of: Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.) poco

- a few
- few and far between
* * *
[fjuː] 1.
(compar. fewer; superl. fewest) quantisostantivo femminile

1) (not many) pochi

few visitors, letters — pochi visitatori, poche lettere

very few houses — pochissime case

on the few occasions that... — le rare volte che...

their needs are few — hanno poche necessità

to be few in number — essere pochi di numero

with few exceptions — con rare eccezioni

2) (some, several)

every few days — a intervalli di pochi giorni, ogni due o tre giorni

over the next few days — (in past) nei giorni successivi; (in future) nei giorni a venire

these past few days — nei giorni scorsi

3) a few qualche, alcuni

a few people, houses — alcune persone, case

I would like a few more — ne vorrei ancora qualcuno

quite a few people — un bel po' di o parecchie persone

we've lived here for a good few years — viviamo qui da un bel po' di anni

a few weeks earlier — qualche settimana fa o prima

in a few minutes — tra qualche minuto
2.
pronome

1) (not many) pochi m.pl. (-e)

few of us succeeded — pochi di noi ci sono riusciti

there are so few of them that — sono talmente pochi che

there are four too few — ne mancano quattro

as few as four people turned up — sono arrivate soltanto quattro persone

2) (some)

a few of the soldiers, countries — alcuni dei soldati, dei paesi

I only need a few — me ne servono solo alcuni

quite a few of the tourists come from Germany — un buon numero di turisti viene dalla Germania

a good few of the houses — un bel po' di case
3.
nome

the few who — i pochi o le poche persone che

it appeals only to the few — piace solo a una minoranza (di persone)

••

to be few and far between — essere rarissimi

to have had a few (too many) — colloq. avere bevuto qualche bicchiere di troppo
••
Note:

When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few horses, few shops, few people), it is translated by pochi + masculine nouns and poche + feminine nouns: pochi cavalli, pochi negozi, poche persone. Equally the few is translated by i pochi / le poche: the few people who knew her = le poche persone che la conoscevano. For examples and particular usages, see I.1 in the entry below. - When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I.2 in the entry below. - When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by qualche, which is invariable and is always followed by the singular: qualche libro; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see I.3 in the entry below. - For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few), see II in the entry below. - For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him), see III in the entry below

English-Italian dictionary > few

6 few

few ( comp fewer ; superl fewest)

❢ When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few houses, few shops, few people) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de magasins, peu de gens. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see A 1 in the entry.

When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see A 2 in the entry. When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres ; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see B in the entry. For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see B, C in the entry. For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him) see D in the entry.

A quantif

1 ( not many) peu de ; few visitors/letters peu de visiteurs/lettres ; few people came to the meeting peu de gens sont venus à la réunion ; very few houses/families très peu de maisons/familles ; there are very few opportunities for graduates il y a très peu de débouchés pour les diplômés ; one of my few pleasures un de mes rares plaisirs ; on the few occasions that she has visited this country les rares fois où elle a visité ce pays ; their needs are few ils ont peu de besoins ; their demands are few ils sont peu exigeants, ils revendiquent peu de chose ; to be few in number être peu nombreux ; there are too few women in this profession il y a trop peu de femmes dans ce métier ; with few exceptions à quelques exceptions près ; a man of few words gen un homme peu loquace ; ( approvingly) un homme qui ne se perd pas en paroles inutiles ;

2 (some, several) every few days tous les deux ou trois jours ; over the next few days/weeks ( in past) dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi ; ( in future) dans les jours/semaines à venir ; these past few days ces derniers jours ; the first few weeks les premières semaines ; the few books she possessed les quelques livres qu'elle possédait.

B a few quantif quelques ; a few people/houses quelques personnes/maisons ; I would like a few more j'en voudrais quelques-uns (or quelques-unes) de plus ; quite a few people/houses pas mal ○ de gens/maisons, un bon nombre de gens/maisons ; we've lived here for a good few years nous vivons ici depuis un bon nombre d'années ; a few weeks earlier quelques semaines plus tôt ; in a few minutes dans quelques minutes ; in a few more months dans quelques mois ; a few more times quelques fois de plus.

C pron

1 ( not many) peu ; few of us succeeded peu d'entre nous ont réussi ; few of them could swim ils n'étaient pas nombreux à savoir nager ; few of them survived peu d'entre eux ont survécu, il y a eu peu de survivants ; there are so few of them that ( objects) il y en a tellement peu que ; ( people) ils sont tellement peu nombreux que ; there are four too few il en manque quatre ; as few as four people turned up quatre personnes seulement sont venues ; few can deny that il y a peu de gens qui nieraient que ;

2 ( some) a few of the soldiers/countries quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays ; I only need a few il ne m'en faut que quelques-uns/quelques-unes ; a few of us un certain nombre d'entre nous ; there were only a few of them ( objects) il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes ; ( people) ils étaient peu nombreux ; quite a few of the tourists come from Germany un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne ; a good few of the houses were damaged un bon nombre des maisons ont été endommagées ; there are only a very few left ( objects) il n'en reste que très peu ; ( people) il ne reste que quelques personnes ; a few wanted to go on strike quelques-uns voulaient faire la grève.

D n the few who voted for him les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui ; great wealth in the hands of the few une grande richesse entre les mains d'une minorité ; music that appeals only to the few une musique qui ne s'adresse qu'à l'élite.

Idioms

to be few and far between être rarissimes ; such people/opportunities are few and far between de telles personnes/occasions sont rarissimes ; villages in this area are few and far between il y a très peu de villages dans cette région ; to have had a few (too many) ○ avoir bu quelques verres de trop, être bien parti ○.

Big English-French dictionary > few

7 few

few [fju:]

adjective

pronoun

   a. ( = not many) peu (de)

• few books peu de livres

• few of them came peu d'entre eux sont venus

• he is one of the few people able to do this c'est l'une des rares personnes qui puisse le faire

• these past few weeks ces dernières semaines

• the next few days les (quelques) jours qui viennent

• with few exceptions à de rares exceptions près

• such occasions are few and far between de telles occasions sont rares

• there are always the few who think that... il y a toujours la minorité qui croit que...

• so few have been sold on en a vendu si peu

• as few as three cigarettes a day seulement trois cigarettes par jour

   b. (set structures)

► a few ( = some) quelques(-uns) quelques(-unes)

• a few books quelques livres mpl

• I know a few of these people je connais quelques-unes de ces personnes

• a few thought otherwise certains pensaient autrement

• I'd like a few more j'en voudrais quelques-un(e)s de plus

• a few more ideas d'autres idées

• he has had a good few (drinks) il a pas mal (inf) bu

• there were only a few of us nous n'étions qu'une poignée► quite a few

• how many? -- quite a few combien ? -- pas mal (inf)

• quite a few books pas mal (inf) de livres

• I saw quite a few people there j'y ai vu pas mal (inf) de gens► too few trop peu

• he has too few books il a trop peu de livres

• there were three too few il en manquait trois

• too few of them realize that... trop peu d'entre eux sont conscients que...

* * *

Note: When few is used as a quantifier to indicate the smallness or insufficiency of a given number or quantity ( few houses, few people, few shops) it is translated by peu de: peu de maisons, peu de gens, peu de magasins. Equally the few is translated by le peu de: the few people who knew her le peu de gens qui la connaissaient. For examples and particular usages see I 1 in the entry

When few is used as a quantifier in certain expressions to mean several, translations vary according to the expression: see I 2 in the entry

When a few is used as a quantifier ( a few books), it can often be translated by quelques: quelques livres; however, for expressions such as quite a few books, a good few books, see II in the entry

For translations of few used as a pronoun ( few of us succeeded, I only need a few) see II, III in the entry

For translations of the few used as a noun ( the few who voted for him) see III in the entry
[fjuː] 1.
(comparative fewer; superlative fewest) quantifier

1) ( not many) peu de

few visitors/letters — peu de visiteurs/lettres

one of my few pleasures — un de mes rares plaisirs

their needs are few — ils ont peu de besoins

to be few in number — être peu nombreux

too few women — trop peu de femmes

with few exceptions — à quelques exceptions près

2) (some, several)

every few days — tous les deux ou trois jours

over the next few days/weeks — ( in past) dans les jours/semaines qui ont suivi; ( in future) dans les jours/semaines à venir

these past few days — ces derniers jours

the first few weeks — les premières semaines

the few books she possessed — les quelques livres qu'elle possédait
2.
a few quantifier, pronoun quelques

a few people/houses — quelques personnes/maisons

I would like a few more — j'en voudrais quelques-uns/quelques-unes de plus

quite a few people/houses — pas mal (colloq) de gens/maisons, un bon nombre de personnes/maisons

a good few years — un bon nombre d'années

a few of the soldiers/countries — quelques-uns or certains des soldats/pays

a few of us — un certain nombre d'entre nous

there were only a few of them — il n'y en avait que quelques-uns/quelques-unes

quite a few ou a good few of the tourists come from Germany — un bon nombre des touristes viennent d'Allemagne

there are only a very few left — il n'en reste que très peu
3.
pronoun ( not many) peu

few of us succeeded — peu d'entre nous ont réussi

there are so few of them that — il y en a tellement peu que

there are four too few — il en manque quatre

as few as four people turned up — quatre personnes seulement sont venues

the few who voted for him — les rares personnes qui ont voté pour lui

••

they are few and far between — ils sont rarissimes

to have had a few (too many) — (colloq) avoir bu quelques verres (de trop)

English-French dictionary > few

8 few

[fjuː] 1. прил.
1) мало, немногие, немного

one of our few pleasures — одно из немногих наших удовольствий

His ideas are very difficult, and few people understand them. — Его идеи очень сложны, и мало людей понимает их.

They may be fewer in number than was supposed. — Их может оказаться меньше, чем предполагалось.

Syn:

not many

2) (a / the few) некоторые, несколько

every few miles — через каждые несколько миль

for the past few years — за последние несколько лет

I have a few friends in this town. — В этом городе у меня есть несколько друзей.

- quite a few
- not a few
- a good few
- some few
Syn:

several, some

•

Gram:

[ref dict="LingvoGrammar (En-Ru)"]a few[/ref]

••

The fewer the better. посл. — Чем меньше, тем лучше.

- as few as
- in few
- in a few words
- few and far between 2. сущ.; употр. с гл. во мн.
1) незначительное число, немногие

precious / very few — очень немногие, совсем незначительное количество

There are precious few of them left. — Их осталось очень мало.

Many are invited but few are chosen. — Много званных, но мало избранных.

few if any — почти никто; почти ничего

2) несколько, некоторые

the few — меньшинство

Each volunteer spent one night a week in the cathedral. A few spent two. — Каждый из добровольцев один раз в неделю ночевал в соборе. Некоторые ночевали два раза в неделю.

••

to have a few too many — разг. выпить слишком много

Англо-русский современный словарь > few

9 menos

adj.

1 less.

menos aire less air

menos manzanas fewer apples

menos… que… less/fewer… than…

tiene menos experiencia que tú she has less experience than you

hace menos calor que ayer it's not as hot as it was yesterday

hay dos libros de menos there are two books missing

me han dado 10 euros de menos they've given me 10 euros too little

2 the least.

el que compró menos acciones the one who bought the fewest shares

lo que menos tiempo llevó the thing that took the least time

la que menos nota sacó en el examen the girl who did (the) worst o got the worst marks in the exam

3 fewer.

adv.

1 less.

menos de/que less than

son menos de las diez it's not quite ten o'clock yet

2 minus (expresa resta).

tres menos dos igual a uno three minus two is one

3 to (con las horas). (peninsular Spanish, River Plate)

son las dos menos diez it's ten to two

son menos diez it's ten to

4 under.

prep.

1 except (for) (excepto).

todo menos eso anything but that

2 minus, less.

m. s.&pl.

minus (sign) (Mat).

* * *

menos

► adjetivo

1 (comparativo - en cantidad) less; (- en número) fewer

■ hoy hay menos gente there are fewer people today

■ viajar en tren cuesta menos dinero going by train costs less money

■ hay menos mesas que en el otro restaurante there are fewer tables than in the other restaurant

■ yo tengo menos años que tú I'm younger than you

2 (superlativo - de cantidad) least; (- de número) fewest

■ yo soy la que menos culpa tiene I'm the least guilty

► adverbio

1 (comparativo - de cantidad) less; (- de número) fewer

■ voy al gimnasio menos que antes I go to the gym less than before

■ vinieron menos de viente personas fewer than twenty people came

■ deberías ir menos deprisa you shouldn't go so fast

■ hay que conducir a menos de 100km/h one cannot drive over 100 km/h

2 (superlativo) least

■ es el menos guapo de toda la familia he's the least good-looking member of the family

3 (con horas) to

■ las tres menos cuarto a quarter to three

4 MATEMÁTICAS minus

■ cuatro menos dos, dos four minus two is two

► preposición

1 but, except

■ todo menos eso anything but that

■ todos fueron al cine menos Alberto everyone went to the cinema except Alberto

► pronombre

1 (cantidad) less; (número) fewer

■ me pagó menos he paid me less

■ esperaban a más de mil personas pero vinieron menos they were expecting over a thousand people but fewer came

► nombre masculino

1 MATEMÁTICAS minus sign

\

FRASEOLOGÍA

a menos que unless

al menos / a lo menos at least

aún menos much less

cada vez menos less and less

dar (dinero) de menos to short-change

en menos de nada in no time at all

eso es lo de menos that's the least of my worries

ir a menos to go down in the world

lo menos at least

■ lo menos que puedes hacer the least you can do

menos da una piedra something's better than nothing

¡menos mal! thank God!

¡ni mucho menos! far from it!

no ser para menos to be no wonder

para no ser menos so as not to be outdone

por lo menos at least

por menos de nada for no reason at all

qué menos que...... is the least somebody could do/could have done

si al menos... if only...

venirse a menos to come down in the world

¡ya será menos! come off it!

* * *
1. noun m.
minus sign
2. adj.
1) less, least

2) fewer, fewest
3. adv.
1) less

2) least

•

- a menos que
- por lo menos 4. prep.
1) except

2) minus
5. pron.
less, fewer

* * *

1. ADV

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!
cuando 2., 2), poder
2. ADJ

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

3. PREP

1) (=excepto) except

todos menos él — everybody except him

¡todo menos eso! — anything but that!

2) (Mat) [para restar] minus, less

cinco menos dos — five minus o less two

siete menos dos (son) cinco — seven minus two is five

son las siete menos veinte — it's twenty to seven

4.

CONJ

• a menos que — unless

no iré a menos que me acompañes — I won't go unless you come with me

5. SM

1) (Mat) minus sign

2)

los menos — the minority

3)
más 1., 2)
* * *
I
adverbio

1) ( comparativo) less

cada vez estudia menos — she's studying less and less

ya me duele menos — it hurts less now

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

no voy a ir, y menos aún con él — I'm not going, and certainly not with him

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

2) ( superlativo) least

es la menos complicada — it is the least complicated one

éste es el menos pesado de los dos — this is the lighter of the two

es el que menos viene por aquí — he's the one who comes around least (often)

es el que menos me gusta — he's the one I like (the) least

se esfuerza lo menos posible — he makes as little effort as possible

es lo menos que podía hacer — it's the least I could do

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)
II
adjetivo invariable

1) ( comparativo) ( en cantidad) less; ( en número) fewer

alimentos con menos fibra/calorías — food with less fiber/fewer calories

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

recibimos cada vez menos pedidos — we are getting fewer and fewer orders

cuesta tres veces menos — it costs a third of the price

mide medio metro menos — it's half a meter shorter

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

2) ( superlativo) ( en cantidad) least; ( en número) fewest

esos casos son los menos — cases like that are the exception
III
pronombre

1)

sírveme menos — don't give me so much, give me less

ya falta menos — it won't be long now

aprobaron menos que el año pasado — fewer passed than last year

2) (en locs)

al menos — at least

a menos que — unless

cuando menos — at least

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world
IV
preposición

1) ( excepto)

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

tres latas de pintura, menos la que usé — three cans of paint, less what I used

2)

a) (Mat) (en restas, números negativos) minus

b) (Esp, RPl) ( en la hora)

son las cinco menos diez/cuarto — it's ten to five/(a) quarter to five

son menos veinte — it's twenty to
V
masculino minus sign

* * *

= least, less [lesser -comp., least -sup.], minus, but, less so.

Ex. Service to the whole community implies positive discrimination towards those who through social or educational deprivation are least adept at using information tools.

Ex. The role of analytical entries in an online catalogue is less clear.

Ex. Copies of records created by the libraries, minus local data, are added to the pool of cataloguing information available to users.

Ex. Rotundas were widely used for all but the most formal texts in the fifteenth century, but fell out of fashion during the sixteenth century, surviving longest in Spain.

Ex. Vellum remained popular on the continent, less so in England; while goatskin (morocco), although well established by this time for fine work, was seldom used in trade binding except for prayer books.

----

* al menos = at least, at the very least.

* a menos que = unless, short of.

* aproximadamente, más o menos = ballpark.

* area menos favorecida = less favoured area.

* cada vez menos = less and less.

* cuando menos te lo esperes = on any given Sunday.

* cuanto menos = at least, let alone, at best.

* dar menos de lo debido = shortchange.

* de menos del 10 por ciento = single digit, single figure.

* dentro de lo malo lo menos malo = the best of a bad lot.

* echar de menos = miss.

* echar muchísimo de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* echar mucho de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* el último pero no el menos importante = the last but by no means least.

* en todos menos en = in all but.

* en un futuro más o menos cercano = in the near future, in the near future.

* en un período más o menos lejano = in the near future, in the near future.

* estrella venida a menos = fallen star.

* figura venida a menos = fallen star.

* hacerlo todo menos = stop at + nothing short of.

* horas de menos aglomeración = off-peak times.

* lo menos posible = as little as possible.

* más o menos = more or less, of a sort, or so, of sorts, after a fashion, round about, roughly speaking, give or take.

* más o menos + Adverbio = relatively + Adverbio.

* más o menos cuadrado = squarish.

* menos aún = let alone.

* menos blandeces y más mano dura = less of the carrot, more of the stick, less of the carrot, more of the stick.

* menos conocido = lesser known.

* menos cultos, los = less literate, the.

* menos de + Cantidad = under + Cantidad, less than + Cantidad.

* menos de + Edad = on the right side of + Edad.

* menos desarrollado = less developed [less-developed].

* menos en = save in.

* menos en el caso de que = except when.

* menos favorecido = less-advantaged, less favoured [less favored].

* menos hecho = rarer.

* menos importante, el = least, the.

* menos probable = least likely, less likely.

* menos... que... = less... than....

* menos rápidos, los = less fleet of foot, the.

* menos sabido = lesser known.

* menos usado = less used.

* mucho menos = a great deal less, let alone, far less.

* nada más y nada menos = as much as + Expresión Numérica.

* nada más y nada menos que = in the order of + Cantidad, nothing less than.

* nada más y nada menos que de = to the tune of + Cantidad.

* nada más y nada menos que desde + Expresión Temporal = from as far back as + Expresión Temporal.

* nada más y nada menos que + Número = as many as + Número.

* nada menos que + Nombre + tan + Adjetivo + como = no less + Adjetivo + Nombre + than.

* ni más ni menos = nothing more, nothing less, no more, no less.

* ni mucho menos = by any stretch (of the imagination), by any means, not by a long shot.

* Nombre + más o menos = Nombre + of sorts.

* no ser menos que el vecino = keep up with + the Joneses.

* no ser menos que los demás = keep up with + the Joneses.

* pagar menos de lo que se debería = underpay.

* para no ser menos = not to be outdone.

* personaje venido a menos = fallen star.

* por último pero no menos importante = last but not least.

* región menos favorecida = less favoured region (LFR).

* salir de donde menos Uno se lo espera = come out of + the woodwork.

* ser menos + Adjetivo = be less of a(n) + Nombre.

* ser nada más y nada menos que = be nothing less than.

* signo menos (-) = minus sign (-), negative sign (-).

* todo menos = everything except (for).

* todos menos = everyone except, everybody except.

* todos menos + Número = all but + Número.

* último pero no el menos importante, el = final and not the least important, the.

* venir a menos = retrench.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y mucho menos = much less, least of all.

* zona menos favorecida = less favoured area.

* * *
I
adverbio

1) ( comparativo) less

cada vez estudia menos — she's studying less and less

ya me duele menos — it hurts less now

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

no voy a ir, y menos aún con él — I'm not going, and certainly not with him

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

2) ( superlativo) least

es la menos complicada — it is the least complicated one

éste es el menos pesado de los dos — this is the lighter of the two

es el que menos viene por aquí — he's the one who comes around least (often)

es el que menos me gusta — he's the one I like (the) least

se esfuerza lo menos posible — he makes as little effort as possible

es lo menos que podía hacer — it's the least I could do

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)
II
adjetivo invariable

1) ( comparativo) ( en cantidad) less; ( en número) fewer

alimentos con menos fibra/calorías — food with less fiber/fewer calories

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

recibimos cada vez menos pedidos — we are getting fewer and fewer orders

cuesta tres veces menos — it costs a third of the price

mide medio metro menos — it's half a meter shorter

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

2) ( superlativo) ( en cantidad) least; ( en número) fewest

esos casos son los menos — cases like that are the exception
III
pronombre

1)

sírveme menos — don't give me so much, give me less

ya falta menos — it won't be long now

aprobaron menos que el año pasado — fewer passed than last year

2) (en locs)

al menos — at least

a menos que — unless

cuando menos — at least

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world
IV
preposición

1) ( excepto)

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

tres latas de pintura, menos la que usé — three cans of paint, less what I used

2)

a) (Mat) (en restas, números negativos) minus

b) (Esp, RPl) ( en la hora)

son las cinco menos diez/cuarto — it's ten to five/(a) quarter to five

son menos veinte — it's twenty to
V
masculino minus sign

* * *

= least, less [lesser -comp., least -sup.], minus, but, less so.

Ex: Service to the whole community implies positive discrimination towards those who through social or educational deprivation are least adept at using information tools.

Ex: The role of analytical entries in an online catalogue is less clear.

Ex: Copies of records created by the libraries, minus local data, are added to the pool of cataloguing information available to users.

Ex: Rotundas were widely used for all but the most formal texts in the fifteenth century, but fell out of fashion during the sixteenth century, surviving longest in Spain.

Ex: Vellum remained popular on the continent, less so in England; while goatskin (morocco), although well established by this time for fine work, was seldom used in trade binding except for prayer books.

* al menos = at least, at the very least.

* a menos que = unless, short of.

* aproximadamente, más o menos = ballpark.

* area menos favorecida = less favoured area.

* cada vez menos = less and less.

* cuando menos te lo esperes = on any given Sunday.

* cuanto menos = at least, let alone, at best.

* dar menos de lo debido = shortchange.

* de menos del 10 por ciento = single digit, single figure.

* dentro de lo malo lo menos malo = the best of a bad lot.

* echar de menos = miss.

* echar muchísimo de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* echar mucho de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* el último pero no el menos importante = the last but by no means least.

* en todos menos en = in all but.

* en un futuro más o menos cercano = in the near future, in the near future.

* en un período más o menos lejano = in the near future, in the near future.

* estrella venida a menos = fallen star.

* figura venida a menos = fallen star.

* hacerlo todo menos = stop at + nothing short of.

* horas de menos aglomeración = off-peak times.

* lo menos posible = as little as possible.

* más o menos = more or less, of a sort, or so, of sorts, after a fashion, round about, roughly speaking, give or take.

* más o menos + Adverbio = relatively + Adverbio.

* más o menos cuadrado = squarish.

* menos aún = let alone.

* menos blandeces y más mano dura = less of the carrot, more of the stick, less of the carrot, more of the stick.

* menos conocido = lesser known.

* menos cultos, los = less literate, the.

* menos de + Cantidad = under + Cantidad, less than + Cantidad.

* menos de + Edad = on the right side of + Edad.

* menos desarrollado = less developed [less-developed].

* menos en = save in.

* menos en el caso de que = except when.

* menos favorecido = less-advantaged, less favoured [less favored].

* menos hecho = rarer.

* menos importante, el = least, the.

* menos probable = least likely, less likely.

* menos... que... = less... than....

* menos rápidos, los = less fleet of foot, the.

* menos sabido = lesser known.

* menos usado = less used.

* mucho menos = a great deal less, let alone, far less.

* nada más y nada menos = as much as + Expresión Numérica.

* nada más y nada menos que = in the order of + Cantidad, nothing less than.

* nada más y nada menos que de = to the tune of + Cantidad.

* nada más y nada menos que desde + Expresión Temporal = from as far back as + Expresión Temporal.

* nada más y nada menos que + Número = as many as + Número.

* nada menos que + Nombre + tan + Adjetivo + como = no less + Adjetivo + Nombre + than.

* ni más ni menos = nothing more, nothing less, no more, no less.

* ni mucho menos = by any stretch (of the imagination), by any means, not by a long shot.

* Nombre + más o menos = Nombre + of sorts.

* no ser menos que el vecino = keep up with + the Joneses.

* no ser menos que los demás = keep up with + the Joneses.

* pagar menos de lo que se debería = underpay.

* para no ser menos = not to be outdone.

* personaje venido a menos = fallen star.

* por último pero no menos importante = last but not least.

* región menos favorecida = less favoured region (LFR).

* salir de donde menos Uno se lo espera = come out of + the woodwork.

* ser menos + Adjetivo = be less of a(n) + Nombre.

* ser nada más y nada menos que = be nothing less than.

* signo menos (-) = minus sign (-), negative sign (-).

* todo menos = everything except (for).

* todos menos = everyone except, everybody except.

* todos menos + Número = all but + Número.

* último pero no el menos importante, el = final and not the least important, the.

* venir a menos = retrench.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y mucho menos = much less, least of all.

* zona menos favorecida = less favoured area.

* * *

menos¹

adverb

A [ Grammar notes (Spanish) ]

(comparativo): cada vez estudia menos she's studying less and less

quiere trabajar menos y ganar más he wants to work less and earn more

ya me duele menos it doesn't hurt so much now

ahora que vive en Cádiz lo vemos menos now that he's living in Cadiz we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him

eso es menos importante that's not so important

no voy a permitir que vaya, y menos aún con él I'm not going to let her go, much less with him

menos (…) QUE:

un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than o just as important as this one

ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you

no pude menos que aceptar I had to accept, it was the least I could do

menos (…) DE:

los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven

pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos

éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us

lo compraron por menos de nada they bought it for next to nothing

no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand

está a menos de una hora de aquí it's less than an hour from here

es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees it's not as dangerous as you think

B [ Grammar notes (Spanish) ] (superlativo) least

es la menos complicada que he visto it is the least complicated one I have seen

éste es el menos pesado de los dos this is the lighter of the two

es el que menos viene por aquí he's the one who comes around least (often)

soy el que ha bebido menos de todos I've had less to drink than anyone, I'm the one who's had least to drink

es el que menos me gusta he's the one I like (the) least

se esfuerza lo menos posible he makes as little effort as possible

es lo menos que podía hacer por él it's the least I could do for him

sucedió cuando menos lo esperábamos it happened when we were least expecting it

para locs ver menos³ pron B. (↑ menos (3))

menos²

adj inv

A [ Grammar notes (Spanish) ] (comparativo) (en cantidad) less; (en número) fewer

alimentos con menos fibra/calorías food with less fiber/fewer calories

ya hace menos frío it's not as o so cold now

recibimos cada vez menos pedidos we are getting fewer and fewer orders

cuesta tres veces menos it costs a third of the price o a third as much

mide medio metro menos it's half a meter shorter

a éste ponle dos cucharadas menos add two tablespoonfuls less to this one

menos (…) QUE:

tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you

menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year

somos menos que ellos there are fewer of us than them

no soy menos hombre que él I'm no less a man than him

yo no soy menos que él he's no better than me

B [ Grammar notes (Spanish) ] (superlativo) (en cantidad) least; (en número) fewest

el rincón donde hay menos luz the corner where there's least light

el partido que obtuvo menos votos the party that got (the) fewest votes

esos casos son los menos cases like that are the exception

menos³

pronoun

A

sírveme menos don't give me as o so much

ya falta menos it won't be long now

aprobaron menos que el año pasado not so o as many passed as last year, fewer passed than last year

B ( en locs):

al menos at least

a menos que unless

a menos que tú nos ayudes unless you help us

cuando menos at least

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little

siempre te da unos gramos de menos he always gives you a few grams under o too little

me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me, you haven't charged me enough

echar

lo menos ( fam); at least

les pagaron lo menos un millón they paid them at least a million pesos

menos mal just as well

menos mal que no me oyó just as well o good thing o thank goodness he didn't hear me

nos van a dar una prórroga — ¡menos mal! they are going to give us extra time — just as well! o thank goodness for that!

por lo menos at least

si por lo menos me hubieras avisado … if you'd at least told me …

había por lo menos diez mil personas there were at least ten thousand people there

ir a menos to go downhill

ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es su falta de honradez that's the least of it, what worries me is his lack of integrity

la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems

tener a algn en menos to feel sb is beneath one

cuanto¹ (↑ cuanto (1)), más³ (↑ más (3)), mucho³ (↑ mucho (3)), nada¹ (↑ nada (1))

tener algo a menos to think sth is beneath one o beneath one's dignity

venirse a menos to come down in the world

un aristócrata venido a menos an aristocrat who has come down in the world o who has fallen on hard times

un hotel/barrio venido a menoss a rundown hotel/neighborhood*

menos⁴

prep

A

(excepto): firmaron todos menos Alonso everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

tres latas de pintura, menos la que usé para la puerta three cans of paint, less what I used on the door

B

1 ( Mat) [ Vocabulary notes (Spanish) ] (en restas, números negativos) minus

8-15=-7 read as: ocho menos quince (es) igual (a) menos siete eight minus fifteen equals o is minus seven

2

(Esp, RPI) (en la hora) [ Vocabulary notes (Spanish) ] son las ocho menos diez/cuarto it's ten to eight/(a) quarter to eight

¿tienes hora? — menos veinte do you have the time? — it's twenty to

menos⁵

masculine

minus sign

* * *

menos adverbio
1 ( comparativo) less;
◊ cada vez estudia menos she's studying less and less;

ya me duele menos it hurts less now;
ahora lo vemos menos we don't see him so often now, we don't see so much of him now;
pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos;
éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us;
los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven
2 ( superlativo) least;
◊ es la menos complicada it is the least complicated one;

el que menos me gusta the one I like (the) least;
se esfuerza lo menos posible he makes as little effort as possible;
cuando menos lo esperaba when I was least expecting it
■ adjetivo invariable
1 ( comparativo) ( en cantidad) less;
( en número) fewer;
◊ alimentos con menos fibra/calorías food with less fiber/fewer calories;

hay menos errores there are fewer mistakes;
mide medio metro menos it's half a meter shorter;
menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year;
tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you
2 ( superlativo) ( en cantidad) least;
( en número) fewest;
◊ donde hay menos luz where there's least light;

el que obtuvo menos votos the one who got (the) fewest votes
■ pronombre
1 ( en cantidad) less;
( en número) fewer;
◊ sírveme menos give me less;

ya falta menos it won't be long now
2 ( en locs)
◊ al menos at least;

a menos que unless;
cuando menos at least;
de menos: me dió 100 pesos de menos he gave me 100 pesos too little;
me cobró de menos he undercharged me;
lo menos the least;
menos mal just as well, thank goodness;
por lo menos at least;
eso es lo de menos that's the least of my (o our etc) problems
■ preposición
1 ( excepto):
◊ todos menos Alonso everybody except o but Alonso;

menos estos dos, … apart from o with the exception of these two, …;
tres latas de pintura, menos la que usé para la puerta three cans of paint, less what I used on the door
2
a) (Mat) (en restas, números negativos) minus

b) (Esp, RPl) ( en la hora):

◊ son las cinco menos diez/cuarto it's ten to five/(a) quarter to five;

son menos veinte it's twenty to
menos
I adverbio
1 (en menor cantidad, grado) (con no contable) less: ayer me dolía menos, it hurt less yesterday
había menos de treinta personas, there were less than thirty people
es menos importante de lo que crees, it's less important than you think
tengo menos fuerza que antes, I have less strength than before
(con contable) fewer: mi casa tiene menos habitaciones, my house has fewer rooms
2 (superlativo) least: es el menos indicado para opinar, he's the worst person to judge
3 (sobre todo) no pienso discutir, y menos contigo, I don't want to argue, especially with you
II preposición
1 but, except: vinieron todos menos uno, they all came but one
2 Mat minus: siete menos dos, seven minus two
♦ Locuciones: eso es lo de menos, that's the least of it
a menos que, unless
al o por lo menos, at least
cada vez menos, less and less
¡menos mal!, thank goodness!
nada menos que, no less o no fewer than
no ser para menos, to be the least one could do: me invitó a cenar, ¡y no era para menos!, he invited me to dinner, which was the least he could do!
venir a menos, to lose rank, fortune or position
' menos' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
aliviar
- añorar
- cachondeo
- cada
- cantar
- contratación
- cuando
- echar
- esquivar
- estar
- extrañar
- gallo
- hipar
- historiada
- historiado
- indicada
- indicado
- infarto
- los
- mal
- más
- mucha
- mucho
- pensar
- piedra
- programa
- recochineo
- salva
- salvo
- signo
- siquiera
- su
- tan
- todavía
- vez
- cinco
- costumbre
- cuanto
- cuarto
- de
- día
- enfado
- enojo
- entre
- esperar
- estofado
- mientras
- mirar
- momento
- nada
English:
about
- absent
- agree
- alone
- anything
- anywhere
- appreciate
- at
- averse
- barring
- besides
- billion
- blind
- blue
- border
- but
- cackle
- chalk
- circuitous
- conscious
- delay
- far
- ferment
- few
- god
- good
- if
- job
- just
- last
- least
- less
- let
- let up
- mind
- minus
- minus sign
- minute
- miss
- more
- nothing
- nowadays
- of
- opposed
- or
- pretty
- put down
- rate
- recollect
- remain

* * *

menos

♦ adj inv

1. [comparativo] [cantidad] less;
[número] fewer;
menos aire less air;

menos manzanas fewer apples;

menos… que… less/fewer… than…;

tiene menos experiencia que tú she has less experience than you;

vino menos gente que otras veces there were fewer people there than on other occasions;

hace menos calor que ayer it's not as hot as it was yesterday;

colócate a menos distancia stand closer;

eran menos pero mejor preparadas there were fewer of them, but they were better prepared

2. [superlativo] [cantidad] the least;
[número] the fewest;
el que compró menos libros the one who bought the fewest books;

lo que menos tiempo llevó the thing that took the least time;

la que menos nota sacó en el examen the girl who did (the) worst o got the worst Br marks o US grades in the exam

3. Fam [peor]
éste es menos coche que el mío this car isn't as good as mine;

es menos hombre que tú he's less of a man than you are

♦ adv

1. [comparativo] less;

a mí échame un poco menos give me a bit less;

ahora con el bebé salen menos they go out less now they've got the baby;

últimamente trabajo menos I haven't been working as o so much recently;

estás menos gordo you're not as o so fat;

¿a cien? no, íbamos menos rápido a hundred km/h? no, we weren't going as fast as that;

menos de/que less than;

Pepe es menos alto (que tú) Pepe isn't as tall (as you);

Pepe es menos ambicioso (que tú) Pepe isn't as ambitious (as you), Pepe is less ambitious (than you);

este vino me gusta menos (que el otro) I don't like this wine as much (as the other one), I like this wine less (than the other one);

son menos de las diez it's not quite ten o'clock yet;

es difícil encontrar alquileres de o [m5]por menos de 50.000 it's hard to find a place to rent for less than o under 50,000;

tardamos menos de lo esperado we took less time than expected, it didn't take us as long as we expected;

es menos complicado de lo que parece it's not as complicated as it seems, it's less complicated than it seems

2. [superlativo]
el/la/lo menos the least;

ella es la menos adecuada para el cargo she's the least suitable person for the job;

el menos preparado de todos/de la clase the least well trained of everyone/in the class;

el menos preparado de los dos the less well trained of the two;

la que menos trabaja the person o one who works (the) least;

aquí es donde menos me duele this is where it hurts (the) least;

él es el menos indicado para criticar he's the last person who should be criticizing;

es lo menos que puedo hacer it's the least I can do;

era lo menos que te podía pasar it was the least you could expect;

debió costar lo menos un millón it must have cost at least a million;

había algunas manzanas podridas, pero eran las menos some of the apples were rotten, but only a very few

3. [indica resta] minus;

tres menos dos igual a uno three minus two is one

4. Esp, RP [con las horas] to;

son las dos menos diez it's ten to two;

son menos diez it's ten to

5. Comp

ir a menos [fiebre, lluvia] to die down;
[delincuencia] to drop;
¡menos mal! just as well!, thank God!;

menos mal que llevo rueda de repuesto/que no te pasó nada thank God I've got a spare wheel/(that) nothing happened to you;

nada menos (que) no less (than);

le recibió nada menos que el Papa he was received by none other than the Pope;

no es para menos not without (good) reason;

no pude por menos que reírme I had to laugh;

venir a menos [negocio] to go downhill;
[persona] to go down in the world;
no pienso montar y menos si conduces o Am [m5] manejas tú I've no intention of getting in, much less so if you're driving;

Comp

hacer de menos a alguien to snub sb

♦ pron

había menos que el año pasado there were fewer than the previous year;

ya queda menos it's not so far to go now

♦ nm inv
Mat minus (sign)
♦ prep
[excepto] except (for);
todo menos eso anything but that;

vinieron todos menos él everyone came except (for) o but him;

menos el café, todo está incluido en el precio everything except the coffee is included in the price

♦ al menos loc conj

at least;

costará al menos tres millones it will cost at least three million;

dame al menos una hora para prepararme give me at least an hour to get ready

♦ a menos que loc conj

unless;

no iré a menos que me acompañes I won't go unless you come with me

♦ de menos loc adv

hay dos libros de menos there are two books missing;

me han dado 80 céntimos de menos they've given me 80 cents too little, they've short-changed me by 80 cents;

eso es lo de menos that's the least of it

♦ por lo menos loc adv

at least;

por lo menos pide perdón you at least ought to apologize

* * *

menos

I adj

1 en cantidad less;

cien dólares de menos 100 dollars short, 100 dollars too little;

hay cinco calcetines de menos we are five socks short

2 en número fewer

II adv

1 comp: en cantidad less;

es menos guapa que Ana she is not as pretty as Ana

2 sup: en cantidad least;

al menos, por lo menos at least

3 MAT minus;

tres menos dos three minus two

III m MAT minus (sign)

IV

:

a menos que unless;

todos menos yo everyone but o except me;

echar de menos miss;

tener a alguien en menos look down on s.o.;

eso es lo de menos that’s the least of it;

ir a menos come down in the world;

ni mucho menos far from it;

no es para menos quite right too;

son las dos menos diez it’s ten of two, Br it’s ten to two

* * *

menos adv

1) : less

llueve menos en agosto: it rains less in August

2) : least

el coche menos caro: the least expensive car

3)

menos de : less than, fewer than

menos adj

1) : less, fewer

tengo más trabajo y menos tiempo: I have more work and less time

2) : least, fewest

la clase que tiene menos estudiantes: the class that has the fewest students

menos prep

1) salvo, excepto: except

2) : minus

quince menos cuatro son once: fifteen minus four is eleven

menos pron

1) : less, fewer

no deberías aceptar menos: you shouldn't accept less

2)

al menos or

por lo menos : at least

3)

a menos que : unless

* * *

menos¹ adv

1. (comparativo) less

deberías ponerte menos azúcar you should take less sugar

2. (con nombres contables) fewer

había menos gente there were fewer people

3. (superlativo) least

es el menos caro it's the least expensive

4. (excepto) except

puedo hacer de todo menos cocinar I can do everything except cook

fueron todos al parque menos ella they all went to the park except her

5. (con la hora) to

son las ocho menos diez it's ten to eight

6. (en matemáticas) minus

ocho menos dos son seis eight minus two is six

al menos at least

a menos que unless

menos mal thank goodness

menos mal que has venido it's a good job you've come

por lo menos at least

menos² n minus sign

Spanish-English dictionary > menos

10 few

fju:
adjective, pronoun

(not many; a very small number of: Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.) pocos

- a few
- few and far between

few adj pron poco

there are few frogs in this lake hay pocas ranas en este lago

a few unos cuantos / algunos

can I ask you a few questions? ¿puedo hacerte algunas preguntas?

a few days unos cuantos días

quite a few bastante

he wrote quite a few books escribió bastantes libros

few

tr[fjʊː]

adjective

1 (not many) poco,-a, pocos,-as

■ few people poca gente

■ very few cars muy pocos coches

2 (some) uno,-as cuantos,-as, algunos,-as

■ a few days ago hace unos días

■ a few friends algunos amigos

■ in the next few days dentro de unos días

pronoun

1 (not many) pocos,-as

■ many try but few succeed muchos lo intentan pero pocos lo consiguen

■ the few who were there enjoyed themselves los pocos que asistieron lo pasaron bien

2 (some) unos,-as cuantos,-as, algunos,-as

■ a few of them algunos de ellos

■ there are a few left quedan unos cuantos

\

SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL

a good few un buen número

as few as solamente

few and far between poquísimos,-as, contadísimos,-as, muy escasos,-as

no fewer than no menos de

quite a few un buen número, bastantes

■ there were quite a few people there había bastante gente

to have had a few too many haber tomado una copa de más

the chosen few los elegidos nombre masculino plural

few ['fju:] adj

: pocos

with few exceptions: con pocas excepciones

a few times: varias veces

few pron

1) : pocos

few (of them) were ready: pocos estaban listos

2)

a few : algunos, unos cuantos

3)

few and far between : contados

few

adj.

• algunos adj.

• poco, -a adj.

• pocos adj.

• unos adj.

adv.

• pocos adv.

pron.

• algunos pron.

• pocos pron.

• unos pron.

I fjuː
adjective -er, -est

a) ( not many) pocos, -cas

few people know about this — lo sabe poca gente, lo saben pocos

the o what few chances I had — las pocas posibilidades que tenía

there were six books too few — faltaban seis libros

every few days — cada pocos días

the last few days have been difficult — estos últimos días han sido difíciles

there were fewer people than usual — había menos gente que de costumbre

fewer and fewer trains stop here — cada vez paran menos trenes aquí

b)

a few — ( some)

a few people complained — algunos se quejaron/bastante gente se quejó

I've been there a few times — he estado allí unas cuantas veces

there are quite a few mistakes — hay bastantes faltas

II

pronoun -er, -est

a) ( not many) pocos, -cas

we have too few to go around — no tenemos suficientes para todos

the privileged few — la minoría privilegiada

as few as 30% pass first time — tan sólo un 30% aprueba a la primera

fewer than 200 tickets have been sold — se han vendido menos de 200 entradas

to be few and far between: good beaches are few and far between — las playas buenas son contadísimas

b)

a few — ( some)

a few objected — algunos se opusieron

all but a few — casi todos

a good few o quite a few already know — ya lo saben bastantes

there are still quite a few left — todavía quedan unos cuantos

a few of us complained — algunos (de nosotros) nos quejamos

he's had a few (too many) — (colloq) se ha tomado unas cuantas

[fjuː]
ADJ PRON (compar fewer) (superl fewest)
1) (=not many) pocos(-as)

few books — pocos libros

few of them — pocos (de ellos)

only a few — solo unos pocos

only a few of them came — solo vinieron unos pocos

there are very few of us, we are very few — somos muy pocos

few (people) managed to do it — muy pocos consiguieron hacerlo

the few who... — los pocos que...

she is one of the few (people) who... — ella es una de los pocos que...

such men are few — hay pocos hombres así

• as few as three of them — nada más que tres

• every few weeks — cada dos o tres semanas

• with few exceptions — con pocas excepciones

• they are few and far between — son contados

• the lucky few — unos pocos or unos cuantos afortunados

• in or over the next few days — en or durante los próximos días, en estos días (LAm)

• in or over the past few days — en or durante los últimos días

• the last or remaining few minutes — el poco tiempo que queda/quedaba

• too few — demasiado pocos

there were three too few — faltaban tres

2) (=some, several)

a few — algunos

a good few, quite a few — bastantes

a good few or quite a few (people) came — vinieron bastantes, vino bastante gente

• he'd had a few (drinks) * — llevaba ya una copa de más

• a few more — algunos más

(in) a few more days — dentro de unos pocos días

• a few of them — algunos de ellos

* * *

I [fjuː]
adjective -er, -est

a) ( not many) pocos, -cas

few people know about this — lo sabe poca gente, lo saben pocos

the o what few chances I had — las pocas posibilidades que tenía

there were six books too few — faltaban seis libros

every few days — cada pocos días

the last few days have been difficult — estos últimos días han sido difíciles

there were fewer people than usual — había menos gente que de costumbre

fewer and fewer trains stop here — cada vez paran menos trenes aquí

b)

a few — ( some)

a few people complained — algunos se quejaron/bastante gente se quejó

I've been there a few times — he estado allí unas cuantas veces

there are quite a few mistakes — hay bastantes faltas

II

pronoun -er, -est

a) ( not many) pocos, -cas

we have too few to go around — no tenemos suficientes para todos

the privileged few — la minoría privilegiada

as few as 30% pass first time — tan sólo un 30% aprueba a la primera

fewer than 200 tickets have been sold — se han vendido menos de 200 entradas

to be few and far between: good beaches are few and far between — las playas buenas son contadísimas

b)

a few — ( some)

a few objected — algunos se opusieron

all but a few — casi todos

a good few o quite a few already know — ya lo saben bastantes

there are still quite a few left — todavía quedan unos cuantos

a few of us complained — algunos (de nosotros) nos quejamos

he's had a few (too many) — (colloq) se ha tomado unas cuantas

English-spanish dictionary > few

11 cuánto

adj.

as much.

conj.

as much as, all.

* * *

cuanto

► adjetivo (pl cuántos,-as)

1 (singular) as much as; (plural) as many as

■ puedes beber cuanta agua quieras you can drink as much water as you want

■ puedes coger cuantos libros quieras you can take as many books as you want

► pronombre

1 (singular) everything, all

■ vendió cuanto tenía he sold everything he had

■ escribe cuanto quieras write as much as you want

2 (plural) all who, everybody who

■ cuantos entraron se asustaron everybody who came in was frightened

\

FRASEOLOGÍA

cuanto a with respect to, regarding, as for

cuanto antes as soon as possible

cuanto más (máximo) all the more

cuanto más... más the more... the more

■ cuanto más habla más me asusta the more he talks the more he frightens me

cuantos,-as más, mejor the more, the merrier

cuanto menos... menos the less... the less

■ cuanto menos comas, menos engordarás the less you eat, the less weight you'll put on

cuantos,-as... tantos,-as as many... as

■ cuantas cabezas, tantos sombreros as many heads as hats

en cuanto as soon as, when

■ en cuanto llegue dile... as soon as he arrives tell him...

en cuanto a with respect to, regarding, as for

■ en cuanto a mí as for me, as far as I'm concerned

en cuanto que insofar as, inasmuch as

por cuanto given that, since

unos,-as cuantos,-as some, a few

————————

cuanto

► nombre masculino

1 FÍSICA quantum

■ la teoría de los cuantos the quantum theory

* * *
1. adv.
as much as

- cuanto antes
2. (f. - cuanta)
pron.

all what, everything

- unos cuantos
3. (f. - cuanta)
adj.

as many

- cuanto más
- cuanto menos
* * *

1. ADJ

1) [indicando cantidad]

daremos cuantos créditos se precisen — we will give as many loans as (are) needed o whatever loans are needed

cuantos hombres la ven se enamoran de ella — all the men that see her fall for her

2) [en correlación]

• cuanto más — the more

cuantos más invitados vengan más comida habrá que preparar — the more guests come, the more food we'll have to prepare

• cuanto menos — the less

cuanto menos dinero tiene la gente, menos gasta en salir a comer — the less money people have, the less they spend on eating out

cuantos menos errores hagas mejor — the fewer mistakes you make, the better

3)

• unos cuantos — (=no muchos) a few; (=bastantes) quite a few

solo unos cuantos funcionarios permanecerán en el país — only a few officials will stay in the country

he leído unos cuantos libros suyos — I've read quite a few of his books

2. PRON

1) [indicando cantidad] all

tiene todo cuanto desea — he has everything o all (that) he wants

tome cuanto quiera — take as much as you want, take all you want

2) [en correlación]

• cuantos más — the more

cuantos más mejor — the more the better

• cuantos menos — the fewer

3)

• unos cuantos — (=no muchos) a few; (=bastantes) quite a few

lo sabíamos unos cuantos, pero la mayoría no — a few of us knew, but most people didn't

hay unos cuantos en clase que no hacen más que molestar — there are a few people in the class who do nothing but cause trouble

-¿cuántos vinieron? -unos cuantos — "how many people came?" - "quite a few"

3. ADV CONJ

1) [expresando correlación]

• cuanto antes mejor — the sooner the better

• cuanto más — the more

cuanto más intentes convencerlo, menos caso te hará — the more you try to persuade him, the more he will ignore you

cuanto más corto mejor — the shorter, the better

• cuanto menos — the less

cuanto menos se hable sobre este asunto mejor — the less (that is) said about this issue, the better

2) [locuciones]

a)

• cuanto antes — as soon as possible

tiene que estar terminado cuanto antes — it has to be finished as soon as possible

ven cuanto antes — come as soon as you can o as soon as possible

b)

en cuanto — (=tan pronto como) as soon as; (=en calidad de) as

en cuanto lo supe me fui — as soon as I heard I left

iré en cuanto pueda — I'll go as soon as I can

el cuento infantil, en cuanto género literario — children's stories, as a literary genre

c)

en cuanto a — as regards, as for

en cuanto a tu aumento de sueldo, lo discutiremos en diciembre — as regards o as for your pay rise, we'll discuss it in December

el sistema tiene ventajas en cuanto a seguridad y comodidad — as regards o with regard to safety and comfort, the system has advantages

en cuanto a mí — as for me

d)

en cuanto que — insofar as

e)

• cuanto más — especially

siempre está nervioso, cuanto más en época de exámenes — he's always nervous, all the more so o especially at exam time

no escribe a nadie, cuanto más a nosotros — he doesn't write to anyone, let alone us

f)

• cuanto menos — to say the least

esta interpretación es, cuanto menos, discutible — this interpretation is debatable to say the least

g)

• por cuanto — in that, inasmuch as frm

es un delito por cuanto vulnera los derechos constitucionales — it is a crime in that o inasmuch as frm it violates constitutional rights

llama la atención por cuanto supone de innovación — it attracts attention because of its novelty value

* * *
I
adverbio

1) ( tanto como) as much as

grita cuanto quieras — shout as much as you like

2) (como conj)

cuantos más/menos seamos, mejor — the more/the fewer of us there are the better

cuanto antes empecemos, más pronto terminaremos — the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish

3) (en locs)

cuanto antes — as soon as possible

cuanto más — let alone

es duro para una persona sana, cuanto más para un enfermo — it's hard enough for a healthy person, let alone somebody who's ill

en cuanto — ( tan pronto como) as soon as; (como, en calidad de) as

en cuanto pueda — as soon as I can

en cuanto a — ( en lo que concierne) as for, as regards

en cuanto a rentabilidad — as for o as regards profitability

en cuanto a conocimientos del tema... — as far as knowledge of the subject is concerned...

por cuanto — (liter o frml) insofar as (frml)
II
- ta adjetivo

1)

a) (todo, todos)

llévate cuantos discos quieras — take as many records as you want o like

b) (sing) ( con valor plural)

tiene cuanto libro hay sobre el tema — she has every book there is on the subject

2)

unos cuantos — a few

unos cuantos amigos — a few friends

había unas cuantas personas — there were several o quite a few people there
III
- ta pronombre

le di todo cuanto tenía — I gave her everything I had

fuimos sólo unos cuantos — only a few of us went

unos cuantos que yo conozco — a few people I can think of
IV
masculino quantum

* * *

= how much, just how much.

Ex. 'I don't know how much I have to work with then?' he said, moving his neck as though his collar was not comfortable.

Ex. Yet just how much greater the cost would be depends on the application.

----

* cada cuantos + Nombre = every few + Nombre.

* con cuanta creatividad = how creatively.

* con unos cuantos + Expresión de Tiempo + de antelación = at a few + Expresión Temporal + notice.

* cuantas veces se quiera = any number of times.

* cuanto antes = as soon as possible (asap).

* cuanto antes mejor = sooner the better, the.

* cuanto ha progresado + Nombre = how far along + Nombre + be.

* cuanto más = all the more so, all the more, a fortiori.

* cuanto más..., más... = the + Comparativo..., the + Comparativo....

* cuanto menos = at least, let alone, at best.

* cuantos más, mejor = the more the merrier, the more the better.

* cuántos + Nombre Contable = how many + Nombre Contable.

* cuantos + Nombre + se quiera = any number of + Nombre.

* dentro de unos cuantos años = in a few years' time.

* durante cuánto tiempo = how long.

* en cuanto a = as to, in extent of, in regard to, in terms of, in the way of, with regard(s) to, as for, as regards, as to the matter of, in reference to, now as to, moving on to.

* en cuanto a él = as for him.

* en cuanto a ella = as for her.

* en cuanto a ellos = as for them.

* en cuanto a los hechos = factually.

* en cuanto a mí = as for me.

* en cuanto a nosotros = as for us.

* en cuanto a ti = as for you.

* en cuanto a usted = as for you.

* en cuanto a vosotros = as for you.

* en cuanto + nacer = at birth.

* en cuanto que = in that.

* en tanto en cuanto = as long as, so long as.

* en tanto en cuanto que = inasmuch as, insomuch as.

* en tanto en cuanto + Subjuntivo = provided (that).

* en unos cuantos años = within a few years, in a few years' time.

* hace unos cuantos días = a few days ago.

* más de unos cuantos + Nombre = not a few + Nombre.

* otros cuantos = several other.

* por cuanto que = because.

* por mencionar sólo unos cuantos = to mention only a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos cuantos = to name only some, to name only some.

* predecible en cuanto a lo que dice = platitudinous.

* unas cuantas ideas = a rough guide.

* unos cuantos = a few, a smattering of + Nombre Contable.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y unos cuantos más = and a few others.

* * *
I
adverbio

1) ( tanto como) as much as

grita cuanto quieras — shout as much as you like

2) (como conj)

cuantos más/menos seamos, mejor — the more/the fewer of us there are the better

cuanto antes empecemos, más pronto terminaremos — the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish

3) (en locs)

cuanto antes — as soon as possible

cuanto más — let alone

es duro para una persona sana, cuanto más para un enfermo — it's hard enough for a healthy person, let alone somebody who's ill

en cuanto — ( tan pronto como) as soon as; (como, en calidad de) as

en cuanto pueda — as soon as I can

en cuanto a — ( en lo que concierne) as for, as regards

en cuanto a rentabilidad — as for o as regards profitability

en cuanto a conocimientos del tema... — as far as knowledge of the subject is concerned...

por cuanto — (liter o frml) insofar as (frml)
II
- ta adjetivo

1)

a) (todo, todos)

llévate cuantos discos quieras — take as many records as you want o like

b) (sing) ( con valor plural)

tiene cuanto libro hay sobre el tema — she has every book there is on the subject

2)

unos cuantos — a few

unos cuantos amigos — a few friends

había unas cuantas personas — there were several o quite a few people there
III
- ta pronombre

le di todo cuanto tenía — I gave her everything I had

fuimos sólo unos cuantos — only a few of us went

unos cuantos que yo conozco — a few people I can think of
IV
masculino quantum

* * *

= how much, just how much.

Ex: 'I don't know how much I have to work with then?' he said, moving his neck as though his collar was not comfortable.

Ex: Yet just how much greater the cost would be depends on the application.

* cada cuantos + Nombre = every few + Nombre.

* con cuanta creatividad = how creatively.

* con unos cuantos + Expresión de Tiempo + de antelación = at a few + Expresión Temporal + notice.

* cuantas veces se quiera = any number of times.

* cuanto antes = as soon as possible (asap).

* cuanto antes mejor = sooner the better, the.

* cuanto ha progresado + Nombre = how far along + Nombre + be.

* cuanto más = all the more so, all the more, a fortiori.

* cuanto más..., más... = the + Comparativo..., the + Comparativo....

* cuanto menos = at least, let alone, at best.

* cuantos más, mejor = the more the merrier, the more the better.

* cuántos + Nombre Contable = how many + Nombre Contable.

* cuantos + Nombre + se quiera = any number of + Nombre.

* dentro de unos cuantos años = in a few years' time.

* durante cuánto tiempo = how long.

* en cuanto a = as to, in extent of, in regard to, in terms of, in the way of, with regard(s) to, as for, as regards, as to the matter of, in reference to, now as to, moving on to.

* en cuanto a él = as for him.

* en cuanto a ella = as for her.

* en cuanto a ellos = as for them.

* en cuanto a los hechos = factually.

* en cuanto a mí = as for me.

* en cuanto a nosotros = as for us.

* en cuanto a ti = as for you.

* en cuanto a usted = as for you.

* en cuanto a vosotros = as for you.

* en cuanto + nacer = at birth.

* en cuanto que = in that.

* en tanto en cuanto = as long as, so long as.

* en tanto en cuanto que = inasmuch as, insomuch as.

* en tanto en cuanto + Subjuntivo = provided (that).

* en unos cuantos años = within a few years, in a few years' time.

* hace unos cuantos días = a few days ago.

* más de unos cuantos + Nombre = not a few + Nombre.

* otros cuantos = several other.

* por cuanto que = because.

* por mencionar sólo unos cuantos = to mention only a few.

* por nombrar sólo unos cuantos = to name only some, to name only some.

* predecible en cuanto a lo que dice = platitudinous.

* unas cuantas ideas = a rough guide.

* unos cuantos = a few, a smattering of + Nombre Contable.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y unos cuantos más = and a few others.

* * *

cuanto¹

adverb

A (tanto como) as much as

puedes gritar cuanto quieras you can shout all you like o as much as you like [ for examples with adjectives see cuan]

B ( como conj):

cuantos menos seamos, mejor the fewer of us there are the better

cuanto antes empecemos, más pronto terminaremos the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish

C ( en locs):

cuanto antes as soon as possible

cuanto más: es un trabajo duro para una persona fuerte, cuanto más para un enfermo it's hard work for a healthy person, let alone o never mind someone who's ill

tienen mal tiempo en verano, cuanto más en invierno they have bad weather in summer, and the winter's even worse

en cuanto (tan pronto como) as soon as; (como, en calidad de) as

vendré en cuanto pueda I'll come as soon as I can

en cuanto a (en lo que concierne) as for, as regards

en cuanto a rentabilidad as for o as regards profitability

en cuanto a conocimientos del tema, no lo supera nadie as far as knowledge of the subject is concerned nobody can match him

no le dieron ninguna indicación en cuanto a la forma de hacerlo he was given no indication as to how to do it

por cuanto ( liter o frml); insofar as ( frml), inasmuch as ( frml)

cuanto² -ta

adjective

A

1

(todo, todos): llévate cuantos discos quieras take as many records as you want o like

2 ( sing)

(con valor plural): se ha leído cuanto libro hay sobre el tema she's read every book there is on the subject

le compran cuanto juguete se le antoja they buy him any toy(s) he wants

B

unos cuantos: ponle unas cuantas cucharadas de jugo de limón add several spoonfuls of lemon juice

ya había unas cuantas personas there were already several o quite a few people there

sólo unos cuantos amigos just a few friends

cuanto³ -ta

pronoun

le di todo cuanto tenía I gave her everything I had

no fuimos todos, sólo unos cuantos we didn't all go, only a few of us

unos cuantos que yo conozco a few people I can think of o I could mention

cuanto⁴

masculine

quantum

* * *

Multiple Entries:
cuanto
cuánto
cuanto 1 adverbio
a) ( tanto como) as much as;

◊ grita cuánto quieras shout as much as you like

b) ( como conj):

◊ cuántos más/menos seamos, mejor the more/the fewer of us there are the better;

cuánto antes empecemos, más pronto terminaremos the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish
c) ( en locs)

◊ cuanto antes as soon as possible;

en cuanto ( tan pronto como) as soon as;
en cuanto a ( en lo que concierne) as for, as regards
cuanto 2
◊ -ta adjetivo: llévate cuántos discos quieras take as many records as you want o like;

unos cuántos amigos a few friends;
tiene cuánto libro hay sobre el tema she has every book there is on the subject
■ pronombre: le di todo cuánto tenía I gave her everything I had;
fuimos solo unos cuántos only a few of us went
cuánto 1 adverbio
a) ( en preguntas) how much

b) ( uso indirecto):

◊ si supieras cuánto la quiero/lo siento if you knew how much I love her/how sorry I am

cuánto 2
◊ -ta adjetivo

a) ( en preguntas) ( sing) how much;

(pl) how many;
◊ ¿cuánto café queda? how much coffee is there left?;

¿cuántos alumnos tienes? how many students do you have?;
¿cuántos años tienes? how old are you?;
¿cuánto tiempo tardarás? how long will you take?
b) ( uso indirecto) ( sing) how much;

(pl) how many;
◊ no sé cuánto dinero/cuántos libros tengo I don't know how much money/how many books I have

c) ( en exclamaciones):

◊ ¡cuánto vino! what a lot of wine!;

¡cuánto tiempo sin verte! I haven't seen you for ages! (colloq)
■ pronombre
1 ( en preguntas)
a) ( sing) how much;

(pl) how many;
◊ ¿cuánto pesas? how much do you weigh?;

¿cuánto mides? how tall are you?;
¿cuántos quieres? how many do you want?;
¿a cuánto estamos hoy? what's the date today?
b) ( refirido a tiempo) how long;

◊ ¿cuánto falta para llegar? how long before we get there?

c) (refirido a precios, dinero) how much;

◊ ¿cuánto cuesta? how much is it?;

¿cuánto es? how much is that (altogether)?
2 ( uso indirecto):
◊ pregúntale cuánto va a demorar ask her how long she'll be;

no sé cuánto puede costar/cuántos tiene I don't know how much it might cost/how many she has
3 ( en exclamaciones):
◊ ¡cuánto has tardado! it's taken you a long time!

cuanto,-a
I adjetivo all: come cuanto arroz quieras, eat as much rice as you want
unas cuantas veces, a few times
II pron rel as much as: dice todo cuanto piensa, he says everything he thinks
gasta cuanto tiene, he spends all he has
III pron indef pl unos cuantos, a few
IV adverbio
1 (cantidad) cuanto más..., más, the more... the more: cuanto más trabajo, más me canso, the more I work the more tired I get
cuantos más (seamos), mejor, the more the merrier
2 (tiempo) ven cuanto antes, come as soon as possible
cuanto antes, mejor, the sooner the better
♦ Locuciones: en cuanto, (tan pronto como) as soon as
(en condición de) as
en cuanto a, with respect to, regarding
en cuanto a Javier, as for Javier o as far as Javier is concerned
cuánto,-a
I adjetivo & pron interr sing how much?
(pl) how many?: ¿cuánto es?, how much is it?
¿cuántos días faltan?, how many days are left?
¡cuánta gente!, what a lot of people!
II adverbio how, how much: ¿cuánto quieres a mamá?, how much do you love mummy?
¡cuánto dormiste!, what a long time you slept!
' cuánto' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
acostumbrar
- amanecer
- antes
- cada
- cerrojo
- cómo
- congelación
- contumaz
- costar
- cuanta
- cuánta
- cuanto
- desbandada
- desorden
- despojar
- dicotomía
- ducha
- durante
- embalarse
- ser
- estar
- honda
- hueso
- interesar
- irresoluta
- irresoluto
- larga
- largo
- limitación
- moscón
- mucha
- mucho
- mullida
- mullido
- rebotarse
- saber
- tardar
- tiempo
- apenas
- equivaler
- hoy
- más
- mejor
- mientras
- posible
- vanidoso
English:
action
- ago
- ahead
- altogether
- as
- asap
- be
- better
- bring round
- chance
- come to
- complaint
- disagree
- divorce
- doze off
- dread
- due
- duration
- far
- few
- for
- heavy
- height
- hold out
- how
- immediately
- ingrained
- less
- line
- lionise
- long
- more
- much
- play down
- possible
- publicity
- rate
- realize
- respect
- scrap
- soon
- strength
- subscription
- tall
- term
- the
- unpack
- wage
- what
- worth

* * *

cuanto¹, -a

♦ adj

1. [todo]
despilfarra cuanto dinero gana he squanders all the money he earns;

soporté todas cuantas críticas me hizo I put up with every single criticism he made of me;

todos cuantos intentos hicimos fracasaron every single one of our attempts met with failure

2. [algunos]
unos cuantos chicos some o a few boys;

necesitaré unas cuantas hojas I'm going to need a few sheets of paper

3. (antes de adv) [expresa correlación]
cuantas más mentiras digas, menos te creerán the more you lie, the less people will believe you;

cuantos más amigos traigas, tanto mejor the more friends you bring, the better

♦ pron relativo

1. [todo lo que] everything, as much as;

come cuanto quieras eat as much as you like;

comprendo cuanto dice I understand everything he says;

herederás todo cuanto tengo you will inherit everything I have;

esto es todo cuanto puedo hacer this is as much as o all I can do

2.
cuantos [todos] [personas] everyone who;
[cosas] everything (that);
cuantos fueron alabaron el espectáculo everyone who went said the show was excellent;

dio las gracias a todos cuantos le ayudaron he thanked everyone who helped him

3.
unos cuantos [algunos] some, a few;

no tengo todos sus libros, sólo unos cuantos I don't have all of her books, only some o a few of them

♦ adv
[expresa correlación]
cuanto más se tiene, más se quiere the more you have, the more you want;

cuantos menos vayamos, más barato saldrá the fewer of us who go, the cheaper it will be;

cuanto más come, más gordo está the more he eats, the fatter he gets;

cuanto más lo pienso, menos lo entiendo the more I think about it, the less I understand it;

cuanto menos nos distraigas, mejor the less you distract us, the better;

cuanto antes llegues, antes empezaremos the sooner you arrive, the sooner we'll start

♦ cuanto antes loc adv

as soon as possible;

hazlo cuanto antes do it as soon as possible o as soon as you can

♦ en cuanto loc prep
[en calidad de] as;
en cuanto cabeza de familia as head of the family

♦ en cuanto loc conj
[tan pronto como] as soon as;
en cuanto acabe as soon as I've finished;

la reconocí en cuanto la vi I recognized her as soon as I saw her o instantly

♦ en cuanto a loc prep

as regards;

en cuanto a tu petición as regards your request, as far as your request is concerned;

en cuanto a temas de literatura, nadie sabe más que él no one knows more about literature than he does, when it comes to literature, no one knows more than he does

cuanto² nm
Fís quantum
* * *

cuanto

1

I adj

:

cuanto dinero quieras as much money as you want;

unos cuantos chavales a few boys

II pron all, everything;

se llevó cuanto podía she took all o everything she could;

le dio cuanto necesitaba he gave her everything she needed;

unas cuantas a few;

todo cuanto everything

III adv

:

cuanto antes, mejor the sooner the better;

en cuanto as soon as;

en cuanto a as for;

cuanto más the more;

cuanto más, mejor the more the better;

cuanto más … más … the more …, the more …;

por cuanto inasmuch as;

todos cuantos all those who

cuanto

2 m FÍS quantum;

teoría de los cuantos quantum theory

* * *

cuánto adv

: how much, how many

¿a cuánto están las manzanas?: how much are the apples?

no sé cuánto desean: I don't know how much they want

cuánto, -ta adj

: how much, how many

¿cuántos niños tiene?: how many children do you have?

cuánto pron

: how much, how many

¿cuántos quieren participar?: how many want to take part?

¿cuánto cuesta?: how much does it cost?

cuanto adv

1) : as much as

come cuanto puedas: eat as much as you can

2)

cuanto antes : as soon as possible

3)

en cuánto : as soon as

4)

en cuanto a : as for, as regards

cuanto, -ta adj

: as many, whatever

llévate cuantas flores quieras: take as many flowers as you wish

cuanto, -ta pron

1) : as much as, all that, everything

tengo cuanto deseo: I have all that I want

2)

unos cuantos, unas cuantas : a few

* * *

cuanto¹ adj all

le gustan cuantos juguetes ve anunciados he likes all the toys he sees advertised

cuantos más / menos... the more / fewer...

cuanto² adv as much as

estudio cuanto puedo I study as much as I can

cuanto más / menos... the more / less...

cuanto más dinero tiene, más avaro es the more money he has, the greedier he is

cuanto menos trabajes, menos cobrarás the less you work, the less you'll earn

cuanto antes as soon as possible

en cuanto as soon as

en cuanto a as for / regarding

cuanto³ pron everything / all

tiene cuanto necesita he's got everything he needs

Spanish-English dictionary > cuánto

12 few

1. adjective
1) (not many) wenige

few people — [nur] wenige [Leute]

very few housewives know that — das wissen die wenigsten Hausfrauen

his few belongings — seine paar Habseligkeiten

[all] too few people — [viel] zu wenig Leute

few and far between — rar

they were few in number — sie waren nur sehr wenige

a few... — wenige...

not a few... — eine ganze Reihe...

[just or only] a few troublemakers — einige [wenige] Störenfriede

just a few words from you — nur ein paar Worte von dir

2) (some) wenige

a few... — einige od. ein paar...

every few minutes — alle paar Minuten

a good few [...]/quite a few [...] — (coll.) eine ganze Menge [...]/ziemlich viele [...]
2. noun
1) (not many) wenige

a few — wenige

a very few — nur wenige

the few — die wenigen

few of us/them — nur wenige von uns/nur wenige [von ihnen]

few of the people — nur wenige [Leute]

just a few of you/her friends — nur ein paar von euch/ihrer Freunde

not a few of them — eine ganze Reihe von ihnen

not a few — nicht wenige

2) (some)

the/these/those few who — diejenigen, die

there were a few of us who... — es gab einige unter uns, die...

with a few of our friends — mit einigen od. ein paar unserer Freunde

a few [more] of these biscuits — [noch] ein paar von diesen Keksen

a good few/quite a few — (coll.) eine ganze Menge/ziemlich viele [Leute]

* * *
[fju:]
adjective, pronoun

(not many; a very small number of: Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.) wenige

- academic.ru/114943/a_few">a few
- few and far between
* * *

few

[fju:]

I. adj

1. attr, inv (some) einige

there are a \few sandwiches left over from the party es sind noch ein paar Sandwiches von der Feier übrig

I've got to get a \few things ich muss ein paar Dinge kaufen

may I ask a \few questions? darf ich ein paar Fragen stellen?

I'll be ready in just a \few minutes ich bin gleich fertig

can I have a \few words with you? kann ich mal kurz mit dir sprechen?

every \few days/minutes/weeks alle paar Tage/Minuten/Wochen

2. ( emph: not many) wenige

he is among the very \few people I can trust er gehört zu den ganz wenigen Leuten, denen ich vertrauen kann

so \few people attended the party that it was embarrassing auf der Party waren so wenige Leute, dass es peinlich war

there are only a \few days left before we leave for France in ein paar Tagen fahren wir nach Frankreich

there are \few things in this world that give me more pleasure than a long bath nur weniges auf der Welt bereitet mir mehr Vergnügen als ein langes Bad

\fewer people smoke these days than used to heute rauchen weniger Menschen als früher

the benefits of this scheme are \few dieser Plan hat nur wenige Vorteile

he's a man of \few words er sagt nie viel; ( form)

I've warned him on no \fewer than five occasions ich habe ihn schon mindestens fünf Mal gewarnt

his fiction has caused not a \few readers to see red bei seinen Romanen sehen nicht wenige Leser rot

as \few as... nur...

precious \few... ( fam) reichlich wenig... fam

3. attr, inv (many) viele

I know a \few people who... ich kenne einige Leute, die...; BRIT

she put on a good \few pounds over Christmas sie hat über Weihnachten einige Pfunde zugelegt

quite a \few [people] ziemlich viele

4.

▶ to be \few and far between dünn gesät sein

such opportunities are \few and far between solche Gelegenheiten gibt es nicht oft

II. pron

1. (small number)

a \few of these apples ein paar von diesen Äpfeln

many believe it but only a \few are prepared to say viele glauben es, aber nur wenige sagen es

a \few of us/you/them einige von uns/euch/ihnen

2. ( emph: not many) wenige

precious \few will finish the course nur wenige werden den Kurs zu Ende bringen

\few can remember back that far nur wenige können sich so weit zurückerinnern

not many showed up and the \few who did left early es kamen nicht viele, und die paar, die kamen, gingen bald

\few if any still believe that... kaum einer glaubt heute noch, dass...

only some \few master more than ten languages nur ein paar wenige sprechen mehr als zehn Sprachen

\few of the houses in the village made it through the hurricane nur wenige Häuser in dem Ort überstanden den Hurrikan

\few of them actually got an interview nur wenige wurden zu einem Gespräch eingeladen

there were too \few of us to charter the plane wir waren nicht genug, um das Flugzeug chartern zu können

not a \few nicht wenige

though she's young, her talents are not a \few obwohl sie jung ist, hat sie viele Talente

3. (many)

a good \few BRIT ziemlich viele

quite a \few eine ganze Menge

4.

▶ to have had a \few einen sitzen haben fam

▶ to have had a \few too many etwas zu viel getrunken haben

III. n

1. (elite)

▪ the \few pl die Auserwählten

only the \few can say they've dined with the Queen nur wenige Auserwählte können von sich sagen, dass sie mit der Queen gespeist haben

2. (minority)

▪ the \few pl die Minderheit

I was one of the lucky \few who... ich gehörte zu den wenigen Glücklichen, die...

one of the fortunate [or happy] \few eine(r) der wenigen Glücklichen

3. BRIT HIST

▪ the F\few pl RAF-Piloten (Zitat aus einer Rede von Winston Churchill)

* * *
[fjuː]
1. adj (+er)

1) (= not many) wenige

few people come to see him — nur wenige Leute besuchen ihn

with few exceptions — mit wenigen Ausnahmen

we are very few — wir sind nur sehr wenige or nur ein kleines Häufchen

few and far between — dünn gesät

as few as ten cigarettes a day can be harmful — schon or bereits zehn Zigaretten am Tag können schädlich sein

as few as six objections — bloß sechs Einwände, nicht mehr als sechs Einwände

how few they are! — wie wenige das sind!

so few books —

too few cakes — zu wenige Kuchen

there were 3 too few —

10 would not be too few — 10 wären nicht zu wenig

he is one of the few people who... — er ist einer der wenigen, die...

the exceptions are few — es gibt nur wenige Ausnahmen

such occasions are few — solche Gelegenheiten sind selten or rar

2)

a few — ein paar

a very few — nur ganz wenige

a few more days — noch ein paar Tage

a few times — ein paar Male

there were quite a few waiting —

he has quite a few girlfriends — er hat eine ganze Menge or ziemlich viele Freundinnen

he's had a few (too many) — er hat einen über den Durst getrunken

quite a few books — ziemlich viele Bücher, eine ganze Menge Bücher

I saw a good few or quite a few people — ich habe ziemlich viele Leute or eine ganze Menge Leute gesehen

not a few people —

we'll go in a few minutes — wir gehen in ein paar Minuten

in the next/past few days — in den nächsten/letzten paar Tagen

every few days — alle paar Tage

2. pron

1) (= not many) wenige

few of them came — wenige von ihnen kamen

some few —

the Few — Kampfflieger, die an der Luftschlacht um England im zweiten Weltkrieg teilnahmen

the lucky few — die wenigen Glücklichen

opera used to be an experience for the few — Opern waren früher einer privilegierten Minderheit vorbehalten

as few as you — genauso wenig wie du

how few there are! — wie wenige das sind!

however few there may be — wie wenig auch immer da ist

I've got so/too few as it is —

so few have been sold — so wenige sind bis jetzt verkauft worden

there are too few of you — ihr seid zu wenige

2)

a few —

I'll just take a few — ich nehme nur ein paar

a few more — ein paar mehr

quite a few — eine ganze Menge

quite a few did not believe him — eine ganze Menge Leute or ziemlich viele Leute glaubten ihm nicht

some few — einige

there are always the few who... — es gibt immer einige wenige Leute or ein paar Leute, die...

the few who knew him — die wenigen, die ihn kannten

* * *

few [fjuː]

A adj & pron

1. wenige:

few persons;

he is a man of few words er macht nicht viele Worte, er ist ein schweigsamer Mensch;

some few einige wenige;

his friends are few er hat (nur) wenige Freunde;

few and far between sehr vereinzelt, dünn gesät;

no fewer than nicht weniger als

2. a few einige, ein paar:

he told me a few things er hat mir einiges erzählt;

a good few, quite a few ziemlich viele, eine ganze Menge;

a faithful few ein paar Getreue;

every few days alle paar Tage;

not a few nicht wenige, viele;

only a few nur wenige;

a very few sehr wenige;

have a few umg ein paar (Schnäpse etc) kippen;

he’s had a few umg er hat schon einiges intus

B s the few die wenigen pl, die Minderheit:

the happy few die wenigen Glücklichen;

the chosen few die Auserwählten;

appeal to the few nur einen kleinen Kreis ansprechen

* * *
1. adjective
1) (not many) wenige

few people — [nur] wenige [Leute]

very few housewives know that — das wissen die wenigsten Hausfrauen

his few belongings — seine paar Habseligkeiten

[all] too few people — [viel] zu wenig Leute

few and far between — rar

they were few in number — sie waren nur sehr wenige

a few... — wenige...

not a few... — eine ganze Reihe...

[just or only] a few troublemakers — einige [wenige] Störenfriede

just a few words from you — nur ein paar Worte von dir

2) (some) wenige

a few... — einige od. ein paar...

every few minutes — alle paar Minuten

a good few [...]/quite a few [...] — (coll.) eine ganze Menge [...]/ziemlich viele [...]
2. noun
1) (not many) wenige

a few — wenige

a very few — nur wenige

the few — die wenigen

few of us/them — nur wenige von uns/nur wenige [von ihnen]

few of the people — nur wenige [Leute]

just a few of you/her friends — nur ein paar von euch/ihrer Freunde

not a few of them — eine ganze Reihe von ihnen

not a few — nicht wenige

2) (some)

the/these/those few who — diejenigen, die

there were a few of us who... — es gab einige unter uns, die...

with a few of our friends — mit einigen od. ein paar unserer Freunde

a few [more] of these biscuits — [noch] ein paar von diesen Keksen

a good few/quite a few — (coll.) eine ganze Menge/ziemlich viele [Leute]

* * *

adj.

wenig adj.

English-german dictionary > few

13 molto

1. adj a lot of

con nomi plurali a lot of, many

2. adv a lot

con aggettivi very

molto meglio much better, a lot better

da molto for a long time

fra non molto before long

* * *

molto agg.indef.

1 (con riferimento alla quantità) much (gener. in frasi negative o interr.); a lot of, lots of, a great (o a good) deal of, a great (o a large) quantity of, plenty of: non beve molto vino, he doesn't drink much wine; c'è molto traffico sulle strade, there is a lot of traffic on the roads; fu sprecato molto tempo in inutili discussioni, a great deal of time was wasted in useless arguing; ci vuole molta pazienza con i bambini, you need a lot of (o a good deal of) patience with children; non c'è rimasto molto pane, we haven't got much bread left; quel ragazzo non dedica molto tempo allo studio, that boy doesn't devote much time to studying; non c'era molto tempo per agire, there wasn't much time to act; avete molto tempo libero?, do you get much spare time?; hanno molto denaro, they have plenty of (o lots of) money

2 (con riferimento all'intensità) great; a lot of: con molto piacere, molta cura, with great pleasure, care; ho appreso con molta gioia la notizia, the news gave me great joy (o I was delighted to hear the news); quell'insperato successo gli diede molta soddisfazione, the unexpected success gave him great satisfaction; le sue dimissioni hanno destato molto scalpore, his resignation caused a great sensation; non hanno dato molta importanza alla cosa, they didn't attach much importance to the matter // avere molta stima di qlcu., to have a high opinion of s.o.; non avere molta stima di qlcu., not to think much of s.o. // c'è molto sole, it's very sunny; c'era molta nebbia, it was very foggy; non c'era molto freddo, it wasn't very cold; lo spettacolo ha avuto molto successo, the show was very successful; dovete fare molta attenzione, you must be very careful; ho molta sete, I'm very thirsty; hanno avuto molto coraggio, they were very brave

3 (con riferimento alla durata) long: molto tempo, a long time; molto tempo prima, a long time before (o long before); molto tempo dopo, a long time after (o long after); da allora è passato molto tempo, a long time has elapsed since then; ho atteso molto tempo prima che qualcuno venisse ad aprire, I waited a long time before someone came and opened the door; non lo vedo da molto tempo, I haven't seen him for a long time; ti assenterai per molto tempo?, will you be away (for) long?; non ci volle molto tempo per capire cosa stava accadendo, it didn't take us long to realize what was going on // Usato anche in espressioni ellittiche: fra non molto, before long; ho dovuto aspettare molto, I had to wait a long time; ci vuole molto per prepararti?, will it take you long to get ready?; ne avrai per molto?, will you be long?; è uscito da non molto, he left not long ago; non manca molto a Natale, it isn't long to Christmas

4 (con riferimento all'estensione nello spazio) a long way, far: ho fatto molta strada per arrivare fin qui, I've come a long way to get here; da qui alla stazione la distanza non è molta, it isn't far from here to the station

5 pl. many (gener. in frasi negative e interrogative); a lot of, a great many, a large number of; plenty of, a good many, lots of (gener. in frasi affermative): ha molti amici, he has a lot of (o a great many o lots of) friends; hai fatto molti errori nel compito, you made a lot of mistakes in the test; c'erano molte persone nella piazza, there were a lot of (o a great many o a large number of) people in the square; molti scienziati sostengono che..., many scientists claim that...; ci sono molti negozi nella zona?, are there many shops in the area?; non ho visto molti film quest'anno, I haven't seen many films this year

◆ pron.indef.

1 much (in frasi affermative è gener. sostituito da a lot, a great deal, plenty): io ho poco tempo per leggere, ma tu ne hai molto, I get (very) little time for reading, but you get a lot; molto di quanto ci hanno riferito è falso, much of what they told us is wrong; c'è molto di vero in ciò che ha detto, there is a great deal of (o a lot of) truth in what he said; hanno fatto molto per me, they did a lot for me; non ne so molto, non me ne intendo molto di informatica, I don't know much about computer technology; ''Hai del pane?'' ''Sì, ne ho molto'', ''Have you got any bread?'' ''Yes, I've got plenty''; non c'è molto da dire, there isn't much (o a lot) to be said; ci sarebbe molto da imparare da lui, a lot could be learnt from him; chiedono molto per quella casa?, are they asking much (o a lot) for that house?; non ci voleva molto a capirlo, it didn't take much (o a lot of) understanding // è già molto se..., it's already saying a lot if...; è già molto che io sia arrivato in tempo con tutto quel traffico, it's already saying a lot that I got here on time, with all that traffic // a dir molto, at (the) most (o worst): sarò occupato ancora un paio d'ore, a dir molto, I'll be busy for another couple of hours at (the) most

2 pl. many, a lot of; (molta gente) many people, a lot of people: Sono quadri bellissimi, ne vendete molti?, They're beautiful pictures. Do you sell a lot of them?; molti di loro hanno preferito prendere l'aereo, many of them preferred to go by air; molti dei turisti erano tedeschi, many of the tourists were German; era stimato da molti, he was respected by many (people); eravate in molti?, were there many of you?; sono partiti in molti, ma non tutti hanno concluso la gara, there were a lot of starters, but not all of them finished the race; ''Sono rimasti molti posti liberi?'' ''No, non (ce ne sono) molti '', ''Are there many seats left?'' ''No, not many''; molti ritengono che..., many people (o a lot of people) think that...

◆ s.m.: non si accontenta né del poco né del molto, he's never satisfied.

molto avv.

1 (davanti ad agg. e avv. di grado positivo e con p.pres. usato come agg.) very; most: una casa molto grande, a very large house; un uomo molto intelligente, a very (o a most) intelligent man; un giornalista molto noto, a (very) well-known journalist; è stato uno spettacolo molto divertente, it was a very (o a most) enjoyable show; ha parlato molto bene, he spoke very well; lo farò molto volentieri, I'll be very glad to do it (o form. I shall do it most willingly); mi alzo molto presto, tardi, I get up very early, late; eravamo molto a disagio, we felt very (o most) uncomfortable; sono constatazioni molto amare, they are very bitter observations; possiamo fare molto poco per lui, we can do very little for him

2 (con agg. e avv. compar.) much; far: molto più grande, much bigger; molto migliore, much (o far) better; molto meno, più, much less, much more; molto più lentamente, much more slowly; oggi è molto più freddo di ieri, today is much colder than yesterday; è molto più coraggioso di quanto sembri, he is much braver than he seems; si conobbero molto più tardi, they met much later

3 (con p.pass.) much; greatly, widely: è molto apprezzato dai colleghi, he is much (o greatly) appreciated by his colleagues (o he is very popular with his colleagues); i provvedimenti sono stati molto criticati da tutti, the measures were greatly criticized by all (o were widely criticized); rimasi molto colpito dalla sua bellezza, I was greatly struck by her beauty; il problema ecologico è molto dibattuto, the ecological problem is a much debated one; è molto cambiato, he is much (o greatly) changed // un prodotto molto richiesto, a product in great demand

4 (con verbi) much (gener. in frasi negative e interr. o preceduto da very o so); a lot (gener. in frasi affermative); (spesso) often: non legge molto, he doesn't read (very) much; mi piace molto questa musica, I like this music very much; ci siamo divertiti molto alla festa, we enjoyed ourselves very much (o we had a wonderful time) at the party; non lo vediamo molto, we don't often see him; Vi ringraziamo molto per..., Thank you very (o so) much for...; non ho apprezzato molto il suo ultimo film, I didn't think much of his last film; viaggiate molto?, do you do much travelling?; non ci vediamo molto in questo periodo, we haven't seen much of each other lately; stanotte non ho dormito molto, I didn't sleep much last night // studiare, lavorare molto, to study, to work hard // né molto né poco, (per nulla) at all: la cosa non mi interessa né molto né poco, it doesn't interest me at all.

* * *
['molto] molto (-a)
1. avv

1) a lot, (very) much, a great deal

non legge molto — he doesn't read much o a great deal

ha viaggiato molto — he has travelled a lot o a great deal

ti è piaciuto? — sì, molto — did you like it? — yes, very much

questo libro è molto meglio dell'altro — this book is a lot o much better than the other one

ci vorranno a dir molto 3 giorni — it will take 3 days at the most

2) (con aggettivi, avverbi) very, (con participio passato) (very) much

l'ha fatto molto bene — he did it very well

molto lodato — highly o (very) much praised

sono molto stanco — I'm very tired

3)

(distanza, tempo) c'è ancora molto da camminare — there's still a long way to go

ci vuole molto? — (tempo) will it take long?

non la vedo da molto — I haven't seen her for quite a while o for a long time

ne hai ancora per molto? — will you be much longer?

arriverà fra non molto — he'll arrive soon

2. agg

(quantità) a great deal of, a lot of, lots of, much (in domande e con negazioni), (numero) a lot of, lots of, many (in domande e con negazioni)

molta gente — a lot of people, many people

molti libri — a lot of books, many books

c'è molta neve — there's a great deal of o a lot of snow

non c'è molto pane — there isn't a lot of bread, there isn't (very) much bread

non ho molto tempo — I don't have o haven't got much time

non c'erano molti turisti — there weren't many tourists

3. pron

much, a lot

molti; molte — many, a lot

c'è pane? — sì, molto — is there any bread? — yes plenty o lots fam

molti pensano che sia giusto — many (people) think it's right

molti di noi — many of o a lot of us

* * *
['molto] 1.
aggettivo indefinito

1) (un gran numero di)

- i fiori — many flowers

- e persone — many o a lot of people

è da -i anni che — it's a long time that

2) (una gran quantità di)

- i soldi — lots o plenty o a great deal of money

- a gente — many people

non rimane più molto pane — there isn't much bread left

abbiamo fatto -a strada — we've gone very far

3) (tanto)

con -a gentilezza, cura — with much o great kindness, care

ho -a fame, paura — I'm very hungry, scared

fate -a attenzione — be very careful

avere -a fortuna — to be very lucky, to have a lot of luck

4) (in un comparativo)

molto più, meno denaro — much more, less money

-e meno persone, -i meno libri — far fewer people, books

è molto più difficile — it's much more difficult
2.
pronome indefinito

1) (un gran numero)

- i di loro — many of them

-i dei luoghi che ho visitato... — many of the places I visited

2) (tante persone)

- i sono pensionati — many (of them) are pensioners

- i sono tentati di crederlo — many people tend to believe him

3) (tanto)

vincere, scrivere molto — to win, write a lot

ho molto da fare — I've got a lot of things to do

avete già fatto molto per me — you've already done so much for me

non ci vuole molto a capirlo — it doesn't take much understanding

molto di quello che dici è vero — much of what you say is true

non me ne intendo molto di cinema — I don't know much about cinema

4) (tanto tempo)

è da molto che non lo vedo — I haven't seen him for a long time o for so long

aspetti da molto? — have you been waiting long?

non ci vorrà molto a finire — it won't take long to finish

fra non molto — before long

ho aspettato molto — I waited for a long time

5) (una gran cosa)

è già molto se non ci sbatte fuori — we'll be lucky if he doesn't throw us out

è già molto che sia venuta — it's already saying a lot that she came

è molto per la tua età — it's a lot for your age

6) a dir molto at the utmost
3.
avverbio

1) (con un verbo)

la ringrazio molto — I thank you very much

amare molto qcn. — to love sb. very much

va molto a teatro — he goes to the theatre a lot

è cambiato molto — he has changed a lot

non mi piace molto — I don't really like it

mi è piaciuto molto — I enjoyed it very much o a great deal

2) (con un avverbio) very

molto bene — very well

sto molto bene — I'm really fine, I feel very well

si è comportato molto male — he behaved really badly

molto gentilmente, volentieri — very kindly, with much pleasure

molto prima, dopo — a long time before, after

3) (con un aggettivo o un participio passato)

molto felice, pulito, famoso — very happy, clean, famous

è molto amato a scuola — he's very much loved at school

molto in anticipo — far in advance

4) (in un comparativo)

sta molto meglio — he's much better

molto meno — much less

lavora molto più velocemente di me — he works much faster than me

* * *

molto

/'molto/

Molto può essere usato come aggettivo, pronome o avverbio. - Come aggettivo e come pronome, si traduce con much davanti o al posto di nomi non numerabili ( molto vino = much wine; molta cura = much care; ne hai mangiato molto? = have you eaten much (of it)?) e many davanti o al posto di sostantivi plurali ( molti nemici = many enemies; molti (di loro) non vivono a Londra = many (of them) don't live in London). Si noti che much e many sono preferibilmente usati in frasi negative e interrogative, mentre in frasi affermative sono spesso sostituiti da a lot (of), lots (of), plenty (of), a good / great deal (of): molte persone = a lot of people; guadagno molto = I earn a lot. - Come avverbio, molto si usa dopo un verbo, e in tal caso si traduce much, very much o a lot ( non bevo mai molto = I never drink much / very much / a lot); quando precede un altro avverbio o un aggettivo, si traduce con very ( molto presto = very soon; molto veloce = very fast), ma se tale avverbio o aggettivo è al comparativo si rende con much ( molto più presto = much sooner; molto più veloce = much faster). - v. anche la nota della voce alcuno. ⇒ 31

I aggettivo indefinito

1 (un gran numero di) - i fiori many flowers; - e persone many o a lot of people; è da -i anni che it's a long time that

2 (una gran quantità di) - i soldi lots o plenty o a great deal of money; - a gente many people; non rimane più molto pane there isn't much bread left; abbiamo fatto -a strada we've gone very far

3 (tanto) con -a gentilezza, cura with much o great kindness, care; ho -a fame, paura I'm very hungry, scared; fate -a attenzione be very careful; avere -a fortuna to be very lucky, to have a lot of luck

4 (in un comparativo) molto più, meno denaro much more, less money; -e meno persone, -i meno libri far fewer people, books; è molto più difficile it's much more difficult

II pronome indefinito

1 (un gran numero) - i di loro many of them; -i dei luoghi che ho visitato... many of the places I visited...

2 (tante persone) - i sono pensionati many (of them) are pensioners; - i sono tentati di crederlo many people tend to believe him

3 (tanto) vincere, scrivere molto to win, write a lot; ho molto da fare I've got a lot of things to do; avete già fatto molto per me you've already done so much for me; non ci vuole molto a capirlo it doesn't take much understanding; molto di quello che dici è vero much of what you say is true; non me ne intendo molto di cinema I don't know much about cinema

4 (tanto tempo) è da molto che non lo vedo I haven't seen him for a long time o for so long; aspetti da molto? have you been waiting long? non ci vorrà molto a finire it won't take long to finish; fra non molto before long; ho aspettato molto I waited for a long time

5 (una gran cosa) è già molto se non ci sbatte fuori we'll be lucky if he doesn't throw us out; è già molto che sia venuta it's already saying a lot that she came; è molto per la tua età it's a lot for your age

6 a dir molto at the utmost

III avverbio

1 (con un verbo) la ringrazio molto I thank you very much; amare molto qcn. to love sb. very much; va molto a teatro he goes to the theatre a lot; è cambiato molto he has changed a lot; non mi piace molto I don't really like it; mi è piaciuto molto I enjoyed it very much o a great deal

2 (con un avverbio) very; molto bene very well; sto molto bene I'm really fine, I feel very well; si è comportato molto male he behaved really badly; molto gentilmente, volentieri very kindly, with much pleasure; molto prima, dopo a long time before, after

3 (con un aggettivo o un participio passato) molto felice, pulito, famoso very happy, clean, famous; è molto amato a scuola he's very much loved at school; molto in anticipo far in advance

4 (in un comparativo) sta molto meglio he's much better; molto meno much less; lavora molto più velocemente di me he works much faster than me.

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > molto

14 mucho

adj.

a lot of, too much, much, plenty of.

adv.

1 a lot, much, very much, a great deal.

2 very often, too often.

m.

a great deal, quite much, much, a lot.

* * *

mucho

► adjetivo

1 (singular - en afirmativas) a lot of; (- en negativas, interrogativas) a lot of, much

■ hicieron mucho ruido they made a lot of noise

■ no tiene mucho dinero he hasn't got a lot of/much money

■ ¿nos queda mucha gasolina? have we got a lot of/much petrol left?

2 (plural - en afirmativas) a lot of, lots of; (- en negativas, interrogativas) a lot of, many

■ son muchos socios en ese club the club has a lot of members

■ hay mucha gente esperando there are a lot of people waiting

■ tiene muchos discos he's got lots of records

■ no hay muchas copas there aren't a lot of/many glasses

■ ¿tienes muchos libros? have you got a lot of/many books?

■ hace mucho calor/frío it's very hot/cold

■ tengo mucha hambre/sed I'm very hungry/thirsty

3 (demasiado - singular) too much; (- plural) too many

■ es mucho trabajo para una sola persona it's too much work for just one person

■ el proyecto supone demasiados problemas the project involves too many problems

■ ya son muchas preguntas that's far too many questions

► pronombre

1 (singular) a lot, much; (plural) a lot, many

■ no me queda mucho por hacer I haven't got much left to do

■ muchos de ellos acudieron many of them came

■ muchos de mis amigos viven en el extranjero a lot of my friends live abroad

■ muchos dicen que no es apto para el trabajo a lot of people say he's not suitable for the job

► adverbio

1 (de cantidad) a lot, much

■ mucho mejor/peor much better/worse

■ era mucho más peligroso de lo que pensábamos it was much more dangerous than we thought

■ se preocupa mucho por ellos he worries a lot about them

■ me gusta mucho I like it a lot

■ lo siento mucho I'm really sorry

■ me alegro mucho de verte I'm very pleased to see you

■ ¿te ha gustado la película? --sí, mucho did you like the film? --yes, very much

■ ¿estaba buena la comida? --sí, mucho was the food good? --yes, very good

2 (de tiempo)

■ mucho antes/después much earlier/later

■ hace mucho que no nos vemos we haven't seen each other for a long time

3 (de frecuencia) often

■ no vienen mucho por aquí they don't come here often

\

FRASEOLOGÍA

como mucho at the most

■ te pagarán como mucho treinta euros they'll pay you thirty euros at the most

con mucho by far

■ es con mucho el mejor concursante he's the best competitor by far

muy mucho familiar very much so

ni con mucho nowhere near as

■ no es ni con mucho tan inteligente he's nowhere near as clever

ni mucho menos far from

■ no es ni mucho menos tonto he's far from stupid

por mucho que however much

■ por mucho que lo intentes no lo conseguirás you won't get it however much you try

* * *
1. (f. - mucha)
adj.

many, much, a lot of, plenty of
2. adv.
much, a lot

- como mucho
- con mucho
- mucho tiempo 3. (f. - mucha)
pron.

many, much, a lot

* * *

1. ADJ

1) [en singular] [en oraciones afirmativas] a lot of, lots of; [en oraciones interrogativas y negativas] a lot of, much

tengo mucho dinero — I have a lot of o lots of money

había mucha gente — there were a lot of o lots of people there

¿tienes mucho trabajo? — do you have a lot of o much work?

no tengo mucho dinero — I don't have a lot of o much money

hace mucho calor — it's very hot

tengo mucho frío — I'm very cold

tengo mucha hambre — I'm very hungry

tengo mucha sed — I'm very thirsty

tuve mucha suerte — I was very lucky

no hace mucho tiempo — not long ago

llevo aquí mucho tiempo — I've been here a long time

2) [en plural] [en oraciones afirmativas] a lot of, lots of; [en oraciones interrogativas y negativas] a lot of, many

tiene muchas plantas — he has got a lot of o lots of plants

muchas personas creen que no — a lot of o lots of people don't think so

se lo he dicho muchas veces — I've told him many o lots of times

¿había muchos niños en el parque? — were there a lot of o many children in the park?

no había muchos patos en el lago — there weren't a lot of o many ducks on the lake

3) * [con singular colectivo]

había mucho borracho — there were a lot of o lots of drunks there

hay mucho tonto suelto — there are a lot of o lots of idiots around

mucho beso, pero luego me critica por la espalda — she's all kisses, but then she criticizes me behind my back

4) (=demasiado)

es mucho dinero para un niño — it's too much money for a child

es mucha mujer para ti — * that woman is too much for you

esta es mucha casa para nosotros — * this house is too big for us

2. PRON

1) [en singular]

a) [en frases afirmativas] a lot, lots; [en frases interrogativas y negativas] a lot, much

tengo mucho que hacer — I have a lot o lots to do

tiene la culpa de mucho de lo que pasa — he's to blame for a lot of o much of what has happened

el plan tiene mucho de positivo — there's a lot about the plan that is positive

su discurso tiene mucho de fascista — his rhetoric contains a lot of fascist elements

¿has aprendido mucho en este trabajo? — have you learnt a lot o much from this job?

no tengo mucho que hacer — I haven't got a lot o much to do

-¿cuánto vino queda? -mucho — "how much wine is left?" - "a lot" o "lots"

b) [referido a tiempo] long

¿te vas a quedar mucho? — are you staying long?

no tardes mucho — don't be long

¿falta mucho para llegar? — will it be long till we arrive?

-¿cuánto nos queda para acabar? -mucho — "how long till we finish?" - "ages"

hace mucho que no salgo a bailar — it's a long time o ages since I went out dancing

2) [en plural] [en frases afirmativas] a lot, lots; [en frases interrogativas y negativas] a lot, many

somos muchos — there are a lot of o lots of us

son muchos los que no quieren — there are a lot o lots who don't want to

muchos dicen que... — a lot of o lots of o many people say that...

muchos de los ausentes — many of o a lot of those absent

-¿hay manzanas? -sí, pero no muchas — "are there any apples?" - "yes, but not many o not a lot"

¿vinieron muchos? — did many o a lot of people come?

-¿cuántos había? -muchos — "how many were there?" - "a lot" o "lots"

3. ADV

1) (=en gran cantidad) a lot

come mucho — she eats a lot

te quiero mucho — I love you very much o a lot

viene mucho — he comes often o a lot

me gusta mucho el jazz — I really like jazz, I like jazz a lot

sí señor, me gusta y mucho — I do indeed like it and I like it a lot

- son 75 euros -es mucho — "that will be 75 euros" - "that's a lot"

alegrarse mucho — to be very glad

correr mucho — to run fast

lo siento mucho — I'm very o really sorry

¡mucho lo sientes tú! — * a fat lot you care! *

trabajar mucho — to work hard

• mucho antes — long before

• mucho más — much o a lot more

• mucho menos — much o a lot less

• muy mucho, se guardará muy mucho de hacerlo — * he'll jolly well be careful not to do it *

• si no es mucho pedir — if that's not asking too much

eso es mucho pedir — it's a lot to ask

• pensárselo mucho, se lo pensó mucho antes de contestar — he thought long and hard about it before replying

• mucho peor — much o a lot worse

2) [en respuestas]

-¿estás cansado? -¡mucho! — "are you tired?" - "I certainly am!"

-¿te gusta? -no mucho — "do you like it?" - "not really"

3) [otras locuciones]

• como mucho — at (the) most

como mucho leo un libro al mes — at (the) most I read one book a month

• con mucho — by far, far and away

fue, con mucho, el mejor — he was by far the best, he was far and away the best

no se puede comparar, ni con mucho, a ninguna de nuestras ideas — it bears no comparison at all o you can't begin to compare it with any of our ideas

• cuando mucho — frm at (the) most

• tener a algn en mucho — to think highly of sb

• ni mucho menos, Juan no es ni mucho menos el que era — Juan is nothing like the man he was

mi intención no era insultarte, ni mucho menos — I in no way intended to insult you, I didn't intend to insult you, far from it

• por mucho que, por mucho que estudies — however hard you study

por mucho que lo quieras no debes mimarlo — no matter how much you love him, you shouldn't spoil him

* * *
I
adverbio

a) <salir/ayudar> a lot

me gusta muchísimo — I like it/her/him very much o a lot

funciona mucho mejor — it works much o a lot better

trabaja mucho — he works very hard

¿llueve mucho? — is it raining hard?

por mucho que insistas — no matter how much you insist

después de mucho discutir — after long discussions

b) ( en respuestas)

¿estás preocupado? - mucho — are you worried? - (yes, I am,) very

¿te gusta? - sí, mucho — do you like it? - yes, very much; para locs ver mucho III 3)
II
- cha adjetivo

1)

a) (sing) a lot of; ( en negativas e interrogativas) much, a lot of

¿tienes mucha hambre? — are you very hungry?

b) (pl) a lot of; ( en negativas e interrogativas) many, a lot of

somos muchos — there are a lot of us

¿recibiste muchos regalos? — did you get many o a lot of presents?

2) (sing)

a) (fam) ( con valor plural)

mucho elogio pero no me lo van a publicar — they're full of praise but they're not going to publish it

hay mucho sinvergüenza por ahí — there are a lot of rogues around

b) (fam) ( con valor ponderativo)

era mucho jugador para un equipo así — he was much too good a player for a team like that
III
- cha pronombre

1) (refiriéndose a cantidad, número)

mucho de lo que ha dicho — much o a lot of what he has said

tengo mucho que hacer — I have a lot to do

si no es mucho pedir — if it's not too much to ask

muchos creen que... — many (people) believe that...

2) mucho ( refiriéndose a tiempo) a long time

hace mucho que no lo vemos — we haven't seen him for a long time

¿falta mucho para llegar? — are we nearly there?

¿tuviste que esperar mucho? — did you have to wait long?

3) (en locs)

como mucho — at (the) most

con mucho — by far, easily

ni mucho menos — in no way

no es un buen pianista ni mucho menos — he isn't a good pianist, far from it

* * *

= heavily, much, widely, a great deal, eminent + Nombre, utmost, vitally + Verbo, plenty, to any great degree, severely, lots of, rather a lot, numerable, a whole lot (of), a great deal of, a good deal of, greatly, wide [wider -comp., widest -sup.], broad [broader -comp., broadest -sup.], extensively, a barrel/barrow load of monkeys, bags of.

Ex. Regular overhaul of guiding is important, especially for the new user who may rely heavily upon it.

Ex. Although the 1949 code was much longer than its predecessor, the 1908 code, it only contained rules pertaining to headings.

Ex. An aggressive approach is made to publicity, with posters and leaflets distributed widely, visits to local shops, post offices, doctors surgeries etc, to drum up business, and the use of volunteers to hand out leaflets at street corners = Se inicia una campaña de publicidad enérgica, distribuyendo de forma general folletos y pósteres, visitando las tiendas, oficinas de correos y consultorías médicas de la localidad, etc., para promocionar el negocio, además de utilizar voluntarios para distribuir prospectos por las esquinas de las calles.

Ex. Thus charwomen and porters in a university work in an institution where books are used a great deal but they themselves are highly unlikely to use them.

Ex. 'I think it makes eminent sense, for the reasons I've outlined,' he said and started toward the door.

Ex. Indeed, he must take the utmost care never to jump to conclusions.

Ex. Though the reference librarian cannot enter the reference process until he receives the question from the enquirer he is vitally concerned about all of its stages.

Ex. One of the great glories of books is that there are plenty to suit everybody, no matter what our taste, our mood, our intellectual ability, age or living experience.

Ex. Consumer advice centres were not used to any great degree by the working classes or those groups most at risk as consumers -- the elderly, divorced, widowed and separated.

Ex. Pressure on space will create the desire on the part of the editor to limit severely the length any paper being published.

Ex. Though reference work is the backbone of their task, they do lots of things that are not reference work.

Ex. Carlyle has been dead nearly a hundred years, but many an academic would like to agree with Carlyle even if, perhaps, universities have changed rather a lot since his day.

Ex. During the past decade both groups have developed numerable measures to assess creative potential.

Ex. For the libraries in Belgium CD-ROM offers a new range of possibilities and a whole lot of reference works will be searchable and much more used.

Ex. As earlier sections amply demonstrate, there is a great deal of choice with regards to data bases.

Ex. There is a good deal of scope for users and novice cataloguers to find difficulty in identifying the appropriate heading for many of the works which are the responsibility of corporate bodies.

Ex. The computer can greatly assist in thesaurus compilation and updating.

Ex. The method is sufficiently flexible to allow for wide modifications.

Ex. In 'upper town' streets are broad, quiet, and tree-shaded; the homes are tall and heavy and look like battleships, each anchored in its private sea of grass.

Ex. Fiction classifications are used extensively in public libraries.

Ex. The landlord is as mad as a barrel load of monkeys, but a fine man and ex-soldier.

Ex. His colleagues would say he's as daft as a brush, has bags of energy and enthusiasm but gets the job done.

----

* a costa de mucho = at (a) great expense.

* afectar mucho = hit + hard.

* Algo a lo que hay que dedicar mucho tiempo = time-consuming [time consuming].

* Algo que lleva mucho tiempo de hacer = time-consuming [time consuming].

* a muchos niveles = many-levelled [many-leveled, -USA].

* andarse con mucho cuidado = walk on + eggshells, tread + the thin line between... and.

* andarse con mucho ojo = keep + Posesivo + eyes peeled, keep + Posesivo + eyes skinned, keep + Posesivo + eyes (wide) open.

* arriesgar mucho = play (for) + high stakes.

* avanzar mucho = travel + a long way down the road.

* bajar mucho = go + way down.

* beber mucho = drink + heavily.

* bebida alcohólica con muchos grados = hard drink, hard liquor.

* cada vez mucho mayor = fast-increasing, exploding.

* causar muchas víctimas = take + a toll on life.

* como mucho = at best, at most, if at all, at the most, at the very latest.

* conceder mucha importancia a = lay + great store on.

* con mucha antelación = far in advance.

* con mucha ceremonia = ceremoniously.

* con mucha diferencia = by far.

* con mucha energía = high energy.

* con mucha frecuencia = very often.

* con mucha información = populated.

* con mucha labia = glibly, smooth-talking.

* con mucha palabrería = glibly.

* con mucha población = heavily populated.

* con mucha pompa = ceremoniously.

* con mucha prisa = without a minute to spare.

* con muchas actividades = event-filled.

* con muchas deudas = heavily indebted.

* con muchas ilustraciones = copiously illustrated.

* con muchas imágenes = image intensive.

* con muchas prestaciones = feature-filled, multifacility.

* con mucha vitalidad = lively [livelier -comp., liveliest -sup.].

* con mucho = very much, far + Verbo, grossly, by far, by a long shot, by a long way, hands down.

* con mucho ánimo = spiritedly.

* con mucho bombo = ceremoniously.

* con mucho contenido = information packed [information-packed].

* con mucho esfuerzo = painfully.

* con mucho éxito = with a wide appeal.

* con mucho protocolo = ceremoniously.

* con mucho público = well attended [well-attended].

* con muchos acontecimientos = event-filled.

* con muchos detalles = elaborately.

* con muchos eventos = event-filled.

* con muchos huesos y poca carne = bony [bonier -comp., boniest -sup.].

* con muchos lectores = with a wide appeal.

* con muchos miramientos = ceremoniously.

* con mucho trabajo = painfully.

* conseguir mucho = do + much.

* contener mucho = be high in.

* costar mucho trabajo = have + a tough time, have + a hard time.

* dar mucha importancia = put + a premium on.

* dar mucho en qué pensar = give + Nombre + much to think about, give + Nombre + a lot to think about.

* dar mucho valor a Algo = value + Nombre + highly.

* darse (muchos) aires = give + Reflexivo + such airs, aggrandise + Reflexivo.

* decir mucho de Algo = speak + volumes.

* de hace muchos años = long-standing.

* de hace mucho tiempo = age-old, long-term, long-lost.

* dejar mucho que desear = fall (far) short of + ideal, leave + a lot to be desired, leave + much to be desired.

* demandar mucho esfuerzo por parte de Alguien = tax + Posesivo + imagination.

* de muchas formas = in more ways than one.

* de muchas maneras = in every way.

* de mucho arraigo = long-established.

* de mucho beneficio = high-payoff.

* de mucho cuidado = badass.

* de mucho provecho = high-payoff.

* de muchos usos = all-purpose.

* desde hace muchos años = for years.

* desde hace mucho tiempo = for ages, long-time [longtime], far back in time, for a long time, long since, in ages (and ages and ages).

* desear mucha suerte a Alguien = wish + Nombre + the (very) best of luck.

* desempeñando muchas funciones = in many capacities.

* destacar con mucho sobre = stand out + head and shoulders (above/over), be head and shoulder (above/over).

* día de mucho calor = scorcher.

* donde cabe mucho también cabe poco = what holds a lot will hold a little.

* durante el transcurso de muchos años = over many years.

* durante muchas horas = for many long hours.

* durante muchos años = for many years, for years to come, for many years to come, over many years, for years and years (and years).

* durante mucho tiempo = long [longer -comp., longest -sup.], for generations, long-time [longtime], for a long time to come, for long periods of time, for a long period of time, lastingly, for a very long time, for many long hours, for a long time, in ages (and ages and ages).

* durar mucho = last + long.

* durar mucho rato = take + a long time.

* durar mucho tiempo = last + long.

* echar muchas horas al día = work + long hours.

* echar mucho de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* echar mucho en falta = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.

* en muchos aspectos = in most respects.

* en muchos casos = in many instances.

* en muchos grupos = in many quarters.

* en muchos grupos de la población = in many quarters.

* en muchos sectores = in many quarters.

* en muchos sectores de la población = in many quarters.

* en muchos sentidos = in many ways, in many respects, in most respects, in more ways than one.

* escribir mucho sobre Algo = a lot + be written about, much + be written about.

* existen de muchos tipos = come in + many guises.

* existir mucha diferencia entre... y... = be a far cry from... to....

* faltar mucho = be a long way off.

* faltar mucho (para) = there + be + a long way to go (before), have + a long way to go (before).

* fue durante mucho tiempo = long remained.

* ganar mucho dinero = make + good money, earn + good money.

* guardar con mucho cariño = treasure.

* guardar muchas esperanzas = get + Posesivo + hopes up.

* gustar mucho = come up + a treat, go down + a treat.

* gustar mucho las mujeres = womanise [womanize, -USA].

* gustar mucho lo dulce = have + a sweet tooth.

* haber de muchos tipos = come in + all/many (sorts of) shapes and sizes.

* haber recorrido mucho mundo = be well-travelled.

* haber viajado mucho = be well-travelled.

* hace muchas lunas = all those many moons ago, many moons ago.

* hace muchos años = many years ago.

* hace mucho tiempo = long since, all those many moons ago, many moons ago.

* hacer mucho = do + much.

* hacer mucho dinero = make + good money, earn + good money.

* hacer mucho por = go + a long way (towards/to/in) + Gerundio.

* hacer muchos aspavientos por Algo = make + a song and dance about.

* hace ya mucho tiempo que = gone are the days of.

* hombre que tiene mucho mundo = a man of the world.

* ir con mucho ojo = keep + Posesivo + eyes peeled, keep + Posesivo + eyes skinned, keep + Posesivo + eyes (wide) open.

* la mayoría con mucho = the vast majority of.

* llenar mucho = be filling.

* lo mucho que = how extensively.

* mucha gente + esperar que = be widely expected.

* muchas ganancias = high return.

* Muchas gracias = Thank you very much.

* muchas horas = long hours.

* muchas otras cosas = much else.

* muchas otras cosas más = much else besides.

* mucha suerte = best of luck.

* muchas veces = multiple times.

* mucho + Adjetivo = very much + Adjetivo, significantly + Adjetivo.

* mucho antes = early on.

* mucho antes de = well before.

* mucho + Comparativo = a good deal + Comparativo.

* mucho dinero = big bucks.

* mucho esfuerzo = hard work.

* mucho interés = keen interest.

* mucho más = order of magnitude, much more, much more so, a lot more, lots more.

* mucho más + Adjetivo = all the more + Adjetivo, far + Adjetivo Comparativo.

* mucho más + Adverbio/Adjetivo = far more + Adverbio/Adjetivo, far more + Adverbio/Adjetivo.

* mucho más allá de = far beyond.

* mucho más cerca = far closer.

* mucho más de = well over + Expresión Numérica.

* mucho más rápido = far faster.

* mucho mayor = far greater, far larger, very much greater.

* mucho mejor = far better.

* mucho mejor que = far superior to.

* mucho menos = a great deal less, let alone, far less.

* mucho menos + Adjetivo = far + Adjetivo Comparativo.

* mucho + Nombre = a lot of + Nombre, bleeding + Adjetivo/Nombre.

* mucho peor = far worse.

* mucho que + Infinitivo = a lot + Infinitivo.

* mucho ruido y pocas nueces = much ado about nothing, storm in a teacup, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* muchos = many, good many, many a(n).

* muchos beneficios = high return.

* muchos jefes y pocos trabajadores = too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

* muchos más = a great many more.

* muchos + Nombre = a lot of + Nombre.

* mucho tiempo = long time, long periods of time, a very long time, long hours, ample time, for a long time.

* mucho tiempo antes de (que) = long before.

* mucho tiempo después = ages and ages hence.

* mucho tiempo después (de que) = long after.

* mucho trabajo = hard graft.

* ni con mucho = not by a long shot.

* ni mucho menos = by any stretch (of the imagination), by any means, not by a long shot.

* no estar finalizado (con mucho) = fall (far) short of + completeness.

* no existir muchos indicios de que = there + be + little sign of.

* no haber muchas señales de que = there + be + little sign of.

* no hace mucho = in the recent past.

* no hace mucho tiempo = not so long ago.

* Nombre + no tardará mucho en = it won't be long before + Nombre.

* Nombre + no tardó mucho en = it wasn't long before + Nombre.

* no mucho después = not long after.

* no parar mucho en un sitio = live out of + a suitcase.

* no pasar mucho tiempo antes de que + Subjuntivo = be not long before + Indicativo.

* no perderse mucho = be no great loss.

* pasar mucho tiempo antes de que = be a long time before.

* pasar por muchas dificultades = be to hell and back.

* persona con mucha ambición = social climber.

* persona que ha viajado mucho = seasoned traveller.

* poner mucho ahínco = try + Posesivo + heart out.

* poner mucho ahínco en = put + Posesivo + heart into.

* poner mucho empe = put + Posesivo + heart into.

* poner mucho empeño = try + Posesivo + heart out.

* poner mucho empeño en + Verbo = be at pains to + Infinitivo.

* poner mucho empeño por = take + (great) pains to.

* poner mucho esmero por = take + (great) pains to.

* por muchas razones = in many ways.

* por mucho que lo + intentar = try as + Pronombre + might.

* por mucho que lo intento = for the life of me.

* por mucho tiempo = for long, for long periods of time.

* prometer mucho = promise + great possibilities, bode + well.

* que consume mucha CPU = CPU intensive.

* que consume mucha energía = energy-intensive.

* que contiene muchas imágenes = image intensive.

* quedar mucho más por hacer = much more needs to be done.

* quedar mucho (para) = have + a long way to go (before), there + be + a long way to go (before).

* quedar mucho por conocer = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* quedar mucho por hacer = more needs to be done, have + a long way to go.

* quedar mucho por saber = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* que deja mucho al azar = hit-or-miss.

* que hay que dar muchas vueltas = circuitous.

* que hay que dedicarle mucho tiempo = time-intensive.

* que ocupa mucho espacio = space-consuming.

* que se percibe desde hace mucho tiempo = long-felt.

* que utiliza muchos recursos = resource-intensive.

* quien mucho abarca poco aprieta = bite off more than + Pronombre + can chew.

* resaltar con mucho sobre = stand out + head and shoulders (above/over), be head and shoulder (above/over).

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* ser de mucho uso = take + Nombre + a long way.

* ser mucho = be a mouthful.

* ser mucho más = be all the more.

* ser mucho más que = be far more than.

* sin mucha antelación = at short notice.

* sin mucha anticipación = at short notice.

* sin mucha dificultad = painlessly.

* sin muchas contemplaciones = unceremoniously.

* sin muchos inconvenientes = without much grudging.

* sin pensarlo mucho = off the top of + Posesivo + head.

* sorprenderse mucho = eyes + pop (out), Posesivo + eyes + pop out of + Posesivo + head, Posesivo + eyes + pop out of + Posesivo + socket.

* tener mucha distancia que recorrer = have + a long way to go.

* tener mucha personalidad = be full of character.

* tener mucho camino que recorrer = have + a long way to go.

* tener mucho carácter = be full of character.

* tener mucho cuidado = be extra vigilant.

* tener mucho éxito = hit + a home run, hit it out of + the park, knock it out of + the park.

* tener mucho interés en = have + a high stake in.

* tener mucho interés por = be keen to.

* tener mucho que ver con = have + a great deal to do with.

* tener mucho tiempo libre = have + plenty of time to spare.

* trabajando mucho = hard at work.

* trabajar muchas horas al día = work + long hours.

* trabajar mucho = work + hard.

* usuario que hace mucho uso del préstamo = heavy borrower.

* venir de mucho tiempo atrás = go back + a long way.

* Verbo + mucho = Verbo + hard.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y mucho más = and much more.

* y mucho menos = much less, least of all.

* y mucho(s) más = and more.

* * *
I
adverbio

a) <salir/ayudar> a lot

me gusta muchísimo — I like it/her/him very much o a lot

funciona mucho mejor — it works much o a lot better

trabaja mucho — he works very hard

¿llueve mucho? — is it raining hard?

por mucho que insistas — no matter how much you insist

después de mucho discutir — after long discussions

b) ( en respuestas)

¿estás preocupado? - mucho — are you worried? - (yes, I am,) very

¿te gusta? - sí, mucho — do you like it? - yes, very much; para locs ver mucho III 3)
II
- cha adjetivo

1)

a) (sing) a lot of; ( en negativas e interrogativas) much, a lot of

¿tienes mucha hambre? — are you very hungry?

b) (pl) a lot of; ( en negativas e interrogativas) many, a lot of

somos muchos — there are a lot of us

¿recibiste muchos regalos? — did you get many o a lot of presents?

2) (sing)

a) (fam) ( con valor plural)

mucho elogio pero no me lo van a publicar — they're full of praise but they're not going to publish it

hay mucho sinvergüenza por ahí — there are a lot of rogues around

b) (fam) ( con valor ponderativo)

era mucho jugador para un equipo así — he was much too good a player for a team like that
III
- cha pronombre

1) (refiriéndose a cantidad, número)

mucho de lo que ha dicho — much o a lot of what he has said

tengo mucho que hacer — I have a lot to do

si no es mucho pedir — if it's not too much to ask

muchos creen que... — many (people) believe that...

2) mucho ( refiriéndose a tiempo) a long time

hace mucho que no lo vemos — we haven't seen him for a long time

¿falta mucho para llegar? — are we nearly there?

¿tuviste que esperar mucho? — did you have to wait long?

3) (en locs)

como mucho — at (the) most

con mucho — by far, easily

ni mucho menos — in no way

no es un buen pianista ni mucho menos — he isn't a good pianist, far from it

* * *

= heavily, much, widely, a great deal, eminent + Nombre, utmost, vitally + Verbo, plenty, to any great degree, severely, lots of, rather a lot, numerable, a whole lot (of), a great deal of, a good deal of, greatly, wide [wider -comp., widest -sup.], broad [broader -comp., broadest -sup.], extensively, a barrel/barrow load of monkeys, bags of.

Ex: Regular overhaul of guiding is important, especially for the new user who may rely heavily upon it.

Ex: Although the 1949 code was much longer than its predecessor, the 1908 code, it only contained rules pertaining to headings.

Ex: An aggressive approach is made to publicity, with posters and leaflets distributed widely, visits to local shops, post offices, doctors surgeries etc, to drum up business, and the use of volunteers to hand out leaflets at street corners = Se inicia una campaña de publicidad enérgica, distribuyendo de forma general folletos y pósteres, visitando las tiendas, oficinas de correos y consultorías médicas de la localidad, etc., para promocionar el negocio, además de utilizar voluntarios para distribuir prospectos por las esquinas de las calles.

Ex: Thus charwomen and porters in a university work in an institution where books are used a great deal but they themselves are highly unlikely to use them.

Ex: 'I think it makes eminent sense, for the reasons I've outlined,' he said and started toward the door.

Ex: Indeed, he must take the utmost care never to jump to conclusions.

Ex: Though the reference librarian cannot enter the reference process until he receives the question from the enquirer he is vitally concerned about all of its stages.

Ex: One of the great glories of books is that there are plenty to suit everybody, no matter what our taste, our mood, our intellectual ability, age or living experience.

Ex: Consumer advice centres were not used to any great degree by the working classes or those groups most at risk as consumers -- the elderly, divorced, widowed and separated.

Ex: Pressure on space will create the desire on the part of the editor to limit severely the length any paper being published.

Ex: Though reference work is the backbone of their task, they do lots of things that are not reference work.

Ex: Carlyle has been dead nearly a hundred years, but many an academic would like to agree with Carlyle even if, perhaps, universities have changed rather a lot since his day.

Ex: During the past decade both groups have developed numerable measures to assess creative potential.

Ex: For the libraries in Belgium CD-ROM offers a new range of possibilities and a whole lot of reference works will be searchable and much more used.

Ex: As earlier sections amply demonstrate, there is a great deal of choice with regards to data bases.

Ex: There is a good deal of scope for users and novice cataloguers to find difficulty in identifying the appropriate heading for many of the works which are the responsibility of corporate bodies.

Ex: The computer can greatly assist in thesaurus compilation and updating.

Ex: The method is sufficiently flexible to allow for wide modifications.

Ex: In 'upper town' streets are broad, quiet, and tree-shaded; the homes are tall and heavy and look like battleships, each anchored in its private sea of grass.

Ex: Fiction classifications are used extensively in public libraries.

Ex: The landlord is as mad as a barrel load of monkeys, but a fine man and ex-soldier.

Ex: His colleagues would say he's as daft as a brush, has bags of energy and enthusiasm but gets the job done.

* a costa de mucho = at (a) great expense.

* afectar mucho = hit + hard.

* Algo a lo que hay que dedicar mucho tiempo = time-consuming [time consuming].

* Algo que lleva mucho tiempo de hacer = time-consuming [time consuming].

* a muchos niveles = many-levelled [many-leveled, -USA].

* andarse con mucho cuidado = walk on + eggshells, tread + the thin line between... and.

* andarse con mucho ojo = keep + Posesivo + eyes peeled, keep + Posesivo + eyes skinned, keep + Posesivo + eyes (wide) open.

* arriesgar mucho = play (for) + high stakes.

* avanzar mucho = travel + a long way down the road.

* bajar mucho = go + way down.

* beber mucho = drink + heavily.

* bebida alcohólica con muchos grados = hard drink, hard liquor.

* cada vez mucho mayor = fast-increasing, exploding.

* causar muchas víctimas = take + a toll on life.

* como mucho = at best, at most, if at all, at the most, at the very latest.

* conceder mucha importancia a = lay + great store on.

* con mucha antelación = far in advance.

* con mucha ceremonia = ceremoniously.

* con mucha diferencia = by far.

* con mucha energía = high energy.

* con mucha frecuencia = very often.

* con mucha información = populated.

* con mucha labia = glibly, smooth-talking.

* con mucha palabrería = glibly.

* con mucha población = heavily populated.

* con mucha pompa = ceremoniously.

* con mucha prisa = without a minute to spare.

* con muchas actividades = event-filled.

* con muchas deudas = heavily indebted.

* con muchas ilustraciones = copiously illustrated.

* con muchas imágenes = image intensive.

* con muchas prestaciones = feature-filled, multifacility.

* con mucha vitalidad = lively [livelier -comp., liveliest -sup.].

* con mucho = very much, far + Verbo, grossly, by far, by a long shot, by a long way, hands down.

* con mucho ánimo = spiritedly.

* con mucho bombo = ceremoniously.

* con mucho contenido = information packed [information-packed].

* con mucho esfuerzo = painfully.

* con mucho éxito = with a wide appeal.

* con mucho protocolo = ceremoniously.

* con mucho público = well attended [well-attended].

* con muchos acontecimientos = event-filled.

* con muchos detalles = elaborately.

* con muchos eventos = event-filled.

* con muchos huesos y poca carne = bony [bonier -comp., boniest -sup.].

* con muchos lectores = with a wide appeal.

* con muchos miramientos = ceremoniously.

* con mucho trabajo = painfully.

* conseguir mucho = do + much.

* contener mucho = be high in.

* costar mucho trabajo = have + a tough time, have + a hard time.

* dar mucha importancia = put + a premium on.

* dar mucho en qué pensar = give + Nombre + much to think about, give + Nombre + a lot to think about.

* dar mucho valor a Algo = value + Nombre + highly.

* darse (muchos) aires = give + Reflexivo + such airs, aggrandise + Reflexivo.

* decir mucho de Algo = speak + volumes.

* de hace muchos años = long-standing.

* de hace mucho tiempo = age-old, long-term, long-lost.

* dejar mucho que desear = fall (far) short of + ideal, leave + a lot to be desired, leave + much to be desired.

* demandar mucho esfuerzo por parte de Alguien = tax + Posesivo + imagination.

* de muchas formas = in more ways than one.

* de muchas maneras = in every way.

* de mucho arraigo = long-established.

* de mucho beneficio = high-payoff.

* de mucho cuidado = badass.

* de mucho provecho = high-payoff.

* de muchos usos = all-purpose.

* desde hace muchos años = for years.

* desde hace mucho tiempo = for ages, long-time [longtime], far back in time, for a long time, long since, in ages (and ages and ages).

* desear mucha suerte a Alguien = wish + Nombre + the (very) best of luck.

* desempeñando muchas funciones = in many capacities.

* destacar con mucho sobre = stand out + head and shoulders (above/over), be head and shoulder (above/over).

* día de mucho calor = scorcher.

* donde cabe mucho también cabe poco = what holds a lot will hold a little.

* durante el transcurso de muchos años = over many years.

* durante muchas horas = for many long hours.

* durante muchos años = for many years, for years to come, for many years to come, over many years, for years and years (and years).

* durante mucho tiempo = long [longer -comp., longest -sup.], for generations, long-time [longtime], for a long time to come, for long periods of time, for a long period of time, lastingly, for a very long time, for many long hours, for a long time, in ages (and ages and ages).

* durar mucho = last + long.

* durar mucho rato = take + a long time.

* durar mucho tiempo = last + long.

* echar muchas horas al día = work + long hours.

* echar mucho de menos = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* echar mucho en falta = be sorely missed, be sadly missed.

* el que mucho abarca poco aprieta = jack of all trades, master of none.

* en muchos aspectos = in most respects.

* en muchos casos = in many instances.

* en muchos grupos = in many quarters.

* en muchos grupos de la población = in many quarters.

* en muchos sectores = in many quarters.

* en muchos sectores de la población = in many quarters.

* en muchos sentidos = in many ways, in many respects, in most respects, in more ways than one.

* escribir mucho sobre Algo = a lot + be written about, much + be written about.

* existen de muchos tipos = come in + many guises.

* existir mucha diferencia entre... y... = be a far cry from... to....

* faltar mucho = be a long way off.

* faltar mucho (para) = there + be + a long way to go (before), have + a long way to go (before).

* fue durante mucho tiempo = long remained.

* ganar mucho dinero = make + good money, earn + good money.

* guardar con mucho cariño = treasure.

* guardar muchas esperanzas = get + Posesivo + hopes up.

* gustar mucho = come up + a treat, go down + a treat.

* gustar mucho las mujeres = womanise [womanize, -USA].

* gustar mucho lo dulce = have + a sweet tooth.

* haber de muchos tipos = come in + all/many (sorts of) shapes and sizes.

* haber recorrido mucho mundo = be well-travelled.

* haber viajado mucho = be well-travelled.

* hace muchas lunas = all those many moons ago, many moons ago.

* hace muchos años = many years ago.

* hace mucho tiempo = long since, all those many moons ago, many moons ago.

* hacer mucho = do + much.

* hacer mucho dinero = make + good money, earn + good money.

* hacer mucho por = go + a long way (towards/to/in) + Gerundio.

* hacer muchos aspavientos por Algo = make + a song and dance about.

* hace ya mucho tiempo que = gone are the days of.

* hombre que tiene mucho mundo = a man of the world.

* ir con mucho ojo = keep + Posesivo + eyes peeled, keep + Posesivo + eyes skinned, keep + Posesivo + eyes (wide) open.

* la mayoría con mucho = the vast majority of.

* llenar mucho = be filling.

* lo mucho que = how extensively.

* mucha gente + esperar que = be widely expected.

* muchas ganancias = high return.

* Muchas gracias = Thank you very much.

* muchas horas = long hours.

* muchas otras cosas = much else.

* muchas otras cosas más = much else besides.

* mucha suerte = best of luck.

* muchas veces = multiple times.

* mucho + Adjetivo = very much + Adjetivo, significantly + Adjetivo.

* mucho antes = early on.

* mucho antes de = well before.

* mucho + Comparativo = a good deal + Comparativo.

* mucho dinero = big bucks.

* mucho esfuerzo = hard work.

* mucho interés = keen interest.

* mucho más = order of magnitude, much more, much more so, a lot more, lots more.

* mucho más + Adjetivo = all the more + Adjetivo, far + Adjetivo Comparativo.

* mucho más + Adverbio/Adjetivo = far more + Adverbio/Adjetivo, far more + Adverbio/Adjetivo.

* mucho más allá de = far beyond.

* mucho más cerca = far closer.

* mucho más de = well over + Expresión Numérica.

* mucho más rápido = far faster.

* mucho mayor = far greater, far larger, very much greater.

* mucho mejor = far better.

* mucho mejor que = far superior to.

* mucho menos = a great deal less, let alone, far less.

* mucho menos + Adjetivo = far + Adjetivo Comparativo.

* mucho + Nombre = a lot of + Nombre, bleeding + Adjetivo/Nombre.

* mucho peor = far worse.

* mucho que + Infinitivo = a lot + Infinitivo.

* mucho ruido y pocas nueces = much ado about nothing, storm in a teacup, Posesivo + bark is worse than + Posesivo + bite.

* muchos = many, good many, many a(n).

* muchos beneficios = high return.

* muchos jefes y pocos trabajadores = too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

* muchos más = a great many more.

* muchos + Nombre = a lot of + Nombre.

* mucho tiempo = long time, long periods of time, a very long time, long hours, ample time, for a long time.

* mucho tiempo antes de (que) = long before.

* mucho tiempo después = ages and ages hence.

* mucho tiempo después (de que) = long after.

* mucho trabajo = hard graft.

* ni con mucho = not by a long shot.

* ni mucho menos = by any stretch (of the imagination), by any means, not by a long shot.

* no estar finalizado (con mucho) = fall (far) short of + completeness.

* no existir muchos indicios de que = there + be + little sign of.

* no haber muchas señales de que = there + be + little sign of.

* no hace mucho = in the recent past.

* no hace mucho tiempo = not so long ago.

* Nombre + no tardará mucho en = it won't be long before + Nombre.

* Nombre + no tardó mucho en = it wasn't long before + Nombre.

* no mucho después = not long after.

* no parar mucho en un sitio = live out of + a suitcase.

* no pasar mucho tiempo antes de que + Subjuntivo = be not long before + Indicativo.

* no perderse mucho = be no great loss.

* pasar mucho tiempo antes de que = be a long time before.

* pasar por muchas dificultades = be to hell and back.

* persona con mucha ambición = social climber.

* persona que ha viajado mucho = seasoned traveller.

* poner mucho ahínco = try + Posesivo + heart out.

* poner mucho ahínco en = put + Posesivo + heart into.

* poner mucho empe = put + Posesivo + heart into.

* poner mucho empeño = try + Posesivo + heart out.

* poner mucho empeño en + Verbo = be at pains to + Infinitivo.

* poner mucho empeño por = take + (great) pains to.

* poner mucho esmero por = take + (great) pains to.

* por muchas razones = in many ways.

* por mucho que lo + intentar = try as + Pronombre + might.

* por mucho que lo intento = for the life of me.

* por mucho tiempo = for long, for long periods of time.

* prometer mucho = promise + great possibilities, bode + well.

* que consume mucha CPU = CPU intensive.

* que consume mucha energía = energy-intensive.

* que contiene muchas imágenes = image intensive.

* quedar mucho más por hacer = much more needs to be done.

* quedar mucho (para) = have + a long way to go (before), there + be + a long way to go (before).

* quedar mucho por conocer = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* quedar mucho por hacer = more needs to be done, have + a long way to go.

* quedar mucho por saber = there + be + a great deal yet to be learned, there + be + still a great deal to be learned.

* que deja mucho al azar = hit-or-miss.

* que hay que dar muchas vueltas = circuitous.

* que hay que dedicarle mucho tiempo = time-intensive.

* que ocupa mucho espacio = space-consuming.

* que se percibe desde hace mucho tiempo = long-felt.

* que utiliza muchos recursos = resource-intensive.

* quien mucho abarca poco aprieta = bite off more than + Pronombre + can chew.

* resaltar con mucho sobre = stand out + head and shoulders (above/over), be head and shoulder (above/over).

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* ser de mucho uso = take + Nombre + a long way.

* ser mucho = be a mouthful.

* ser mucho más = be all the more.

* ser mucho más que = be far more than.

* sin mucha antelación = at short notice.

* sin mucha anticipación = at short notice.

* sin mucha dificultad = painlessly.

* sin muchas contemplaciones = unceremoniously.

* sin muchos inconvenientes = without much grudging.

* sin pensarlo mucho = off the top of + Posesivo + head.

* sorprenderse mucho = eyes + pop (out), Posesivo + eyes + pop out of + Posesivo + head, Posesivo + eyes + pop out of + Posesivo + socket.

* tener mucha distancia que recorrer = have + a long way to go.

* tener mucha personalidad = be full of character.

* tener mucho camino que recorrer = have + a long way to go.

* tener mucho carácter = be full of character.

* tener mucho cuidado = be extra vigilant.

* tener mucho éxito = hit + a home run, hit it out of + the park, knock it out of + the park.

* tener mucho interés en = have + a high stake in.

* tener mucho interés por = be keen to.

* tener mucho que ver con = have + a great deal to do with.

* tener mucho tiempo libre = have + plenty of time to spare.

* trabajando mucho = hard at work.

* trabajar muchas horas al día = work + long hours.

* trabajar mucho = work + hard.

* usuario que hace mucho uso del préstamo = heavy borrower.

* venir de mucho tiempo atrás = go back + a long way.

* Verbo + mucho = Verbo + hard.

* y cuanto mucho menos = much less.

* y mucho más = and much more.

* y mucho menos = much less, least of all.

* y mucho(s) más = and more.

* * *

mucho¹

adverb

1

salen mucho they go out a lot

no salen mucho they don't go out much o a lot

¿salen mucho? do they go out much o a lot?

me ayudaron muchísimo they really helped me a lot

ahora funciona mucho mejor it works much o a lot better now

esto preocupa, y mucho, a los ecologistas this is a matter of great concern to ecologists

trabaja mucho he works very hard

¿llueve mucho? is it raining hard?

me gusta muchísimo I like it a lot o very much

por mucho que insistas, no te va a hacer caso no matter how much you insist o however much you insist he won't listen to you

por mucho que le grites no te oye you can shout as much as you like but he won't hear you

después de mucho discutir llegaron a un acuerdo after long discussions, they reached an agreement

mucho criticar a los demás pero ella tampoco hace nada por ayudar she's forever o always criticizing others but she doesn't do anything to help either

2

(en respuestas): ¿estás preocupado? — mucho are you worried? — (yes, I am,) very

¿te gusta? — sí, mucho do you like it? — yes, very much

para locs ver mucho³ pron C. (↑ mucho (3))

mucho² - cha

adjective

A

1 ( sing) a lot of; (en negativas e interrogativas) much, a lot of

tiene mucha vitamina C it contains a lot of vitamin C

no le tienen mucho respeto they don't have much o a lot of respect for him

había mucha gente there were lots of o a lot of people there

sucedió hace mucho tiempo it happened a long time ago

¿tienes mucha hambre? are you very hungry?

una ciudad con mucha vida nocturna a city with plenty of night life

2 (pl) a lot of; (en negativas e interrogativas) many, a lot of

¿recibiste muchos regalos? did you get many o a lot of presents?

sus muchas obligaciones le impidieron asistir his many commitments prevented him from attending

muchos niños pasan hambre many children go hungry

seis hijos son muchos six children's a lot

somos muchos there are a lot of us

B ( sing)

1 ( fam)

(con valor plural): mucho elogio, mucho cumplido pero no me lo van a publicar they're full of praise and compliments but they're not going to publish it

hoy día hay mucho sinvergüenza por ahí these days there are a lot of rogues around

2 ( fam)

(con valor ponderativo): era mucho jugador para un equipo tan mediocre he was much too good a player for a mediocre team like that

mucho³ - cha

pronoun

A

(refiriéndose a cantidad, número): mucho de lo que ha dicho es falso much o a lot of what he has said is untrue

tengo mucho que hacer I have a lot to do

si no es mucho pedir if it's not too much to ask

muchos creen que … many (people) believe that …

muchos son los llamados pero pocos los elegidos ( Bib) many are called but few are chosen

B

mucho (refiriéndose a tiempo) a long time

hace mucho que no vamos al teatro we haven't been to the theater for a long time o for ages

¿falta mucho para llegar? are we nearly there?, is it much further?

¿tuviste que esperar mucho? did you have to wait long?

mucho antes de conocerte long o a long time before I met you

C ( en locs):

como mucho at (the) most

costará unos 30 dólares como mucho it probably costs about 30 dollars at (the) most

con mucho by far, easily

fue, con mucho, la mejor de la clase she was by far o easily the best in the class, she was the best in the class, by far

cuando mucho at (the) most

ni mucho menos: no pretendo aconsejarte ni mucho menos I'm in no way trying to give you advice

no es un buen pianista ni mucho menos he isn't a good pianist, far from it

* * *

mucho 1 adverbio
a) ‹salir/ayudar› a lot;

‹ trabajar› hard;
◊ no salen mucho they don't go out much o a lot;

me gusta muchísimo I like it very much o a lot;
mucho mejor a lot better;
por mucho que insistas no matter how much you insist;
después de mucho discutir after much discussion
b) ( en respuestas):

◊ ¿estás preocupado? — mucho are you worried? — (yes, I am,) very;

¿te gusta? — sí, mucho do you like it? — yes, very much
mucho 2
◊ - cha adjetivo

a) ( sing) a lot of;

(en oraciones negativas, interrogativas) much, a lot of;
◊ mucho vino a lot of wine;

no gano mucho dinero I don't earn much o a lot of money;
¿ves mucha televisión? do you watch much o a lot of television;
tiene mucha hambre he's very hungry
b) (pl) many, a lot of;

◊ había muchos extranjeros/muchas personas allí there were many o a lot of foreigners/people there;

hace muchos años many years ago
■ pronombre
1 ( referido a cantidad)
a) ( sing) a lot;

( en oraciones negativas) much;
◊ mucho de lo dicho a lot of what was said;

tengo mucho que hacer I have a lot to do;
eso no es mucho that's not much;
no queda mucha there isn't much left
b) (pl) many;

◊ muchos creen que … many (people) believe that …;

muchos de nosotros many of us
2
◊ mucho

a) ( referido a tiempo):

◊ hace mucho que no la veo I haven't seen her for a long time;

¿te falta mucho para terminar? will it take you long to finish?;
mucho antes long before;
¿tuviste que esperar mucho? did you have to wait long?
b) ( en locs)

◊ como mucho at (the) most;

con mucho by far, easily;
ni mucho menos far from it;
por mucho que … however much …
mucho,-a
I adj indef
1 (abundante, numeroso) (en frases afirmativas) a lot of, lots of
mucha comida, a lot of food
muchos animales, lots of animals
(en frases negativas) much, many pl: no queda mucho azúcar, there isn't much sugar left
no conozco muchos sitios, I don't know many places
2 (intenso) very: tengo mucho calor/miedo, I'm very hot/scared
hizo mucho esfuerzo, he made a great effort
3 (demasiado) es mucha responsabilidad, it's too much responsibility
II pron
1 a lot, a great deal, many: muchos fuimos al baile, many/lots of us went to the dance
muchos de nosotros/vosotros, many of us/you
de ésos tengo muchos, I've got lots of those
III adverbio
1 (cantidad) a lot, very much: me arrepentí mucho, I was very sorry
2 (tiempo) hace mucho que desapareció, he went missing a long time ago
hace mucho que estamos aquí, we have been here for a long time
(a menudo) often: vamos mucho al cine, we go to the cinema quite often
♦ Locuciones: como mucho, at the most
con mucho, by far
¡ni mucho menos!, no way!
por mucho (que), however much
Recuerda que el singular es much, el plural es many, y que estas dos palabras se suelen usar en frases negativas (no tengo demasiado tiempo, I haven't got much time), mientras que a lot (of) y lots (of) se encuentran en frases afirmativas: Tengo mucho dinero. I've got a lot of/lots of money. En frases interrogativas se usa tanto much y many como a lot o lots of: ¿Tienes mucho dinero?, Have you got much/ a lot of/lots of money? Sin embargo, en preguntas que empiezan por how sólo puedes emplear much o many: ¿Cuánto dinero tienes?, How much money have you got?
' mucho' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
abandonarse
- abrigar
- abultar
- achicharrar
- achicharrarse
- acoger
- adelantar
- adentro
- adorar
- afear
- afecta
- afectar
- afecto
- agradecer
- alejarse
- antes
- aparato
- aprecio
- aprovechar
- ascendiente
- avejentarse
- avenida
- avenido
- bailar
- bastante
- boato
- bombo
- brío
- cacarear
- caché
- cachet
- calor
- carácter
- cariño
- carrete
- cascar
- cervical
- chapar
- chiflar
- cocerse
- coco
- comer
- contraponer
- costar
- cuando
- de
- deber
- decaer
- decir
- defraudar
English:
ability
- ado
- afraid
- age
- ago
- agony
- all-out
- alone
- anywhere
- around
- as
- attract
- attuned to
- backlog
- badly
- bake
- balance
- be
- best
- booze
- bulky
- busywork
- capital
- cautious
- chalk
- challenging
- charisma
- come along
- come into
- commotion
- concern
- deal
- dear
- demand
- devoted
- difficult
- do
- dog days
- doing
- easily
- emotional
- enthusiastic
- esteem
- exhilarate
- experience
- extravagant
- fancy
- far
- fat
- few

* * *

mucho, -a

♦ adj

1. [gran cantidad de] a lot of;

comemos mucho pescado/mucha verdura we eat a lot of fish/vegetables;

había mucha gente there were a lot of people there;

producen muchos residuos they produce a lot of waste;

tengo muchos más/menos amigos que tú I've got a lot more/fewer friends than you;

no tengo mucho tiempo I haven't got much o a lot of time;

no nos quedan muchas entradas we haven't got many o a lot of tickets left;

¿hay muchas cosas que hacer? are there a lot of things to do?, is there much to do?;

no tengo muchas ganas de ir I don't really o much feel like going;

tengo mucho sueño I'm very sleepy;

hoy hace mucho calor it's very hot today;

hace mucho tiempo a long time ago;

¡mucha suerte! the best of luck!;

¡muchas gracias! thank you very much!

2. (singular) [demasiado]
hay mucho niño aquí there are rather a lot of kids here;

mucha sal me parece que le estás echando I think you're overdoing the salt a bit, I think you're adding a bit too much salt;

ésta es mucha casa para mí this house is much too big for me;
Fam
es mucho hombre he's a real man;

es mucho coche para un conductor novato it's far too powerful a car for an inexperienced driver;

es mucha mujer para ti she's out of your league!;
Fam
mucho lujo y mucho camarero trajeado pero la comida es horrible it's all very luxurious and full of smartly dressed waiters, but the food's terrible

♦ pron
(singular) a lot;
* * *

mucho

I adj

1 singular a lot of, lots of; en frases interrogativas y negativas tb

much;

mucho tiempo a lot of time;

no tengo mucho tiempo I don’t have a lot of time o much time;

tengo mucho frío I am very cold;

es mucho coche para mí this car’s too much for me

2 plural a lot of, lots of; en frases interrogativas y negativas tb

many;

muchos amigos a lot of friends;

no tengo muchos amigos I don’t have a lot of friends o many friends

II pron

1 singular a lot; en frases interrogativas y negativas tb

much;

no tengo mucho I don’t have much o a lot

2 plural a lot; en frases interrogativas y negativas tb

many;

no tengo muchos I don’t have many o a lot;

muchos creen que … a lot of people o many people think that …

III adv

1 a lot; en frases interrogativas y negativas tb

much;

¿cuesta mucho? does it cost a lot o much?;

nos vemos mucho we see each other often o a lot;

hace mucho que no te veo I haven’t seen you for a long time;

¿dura/tarda mucho? does it last/take long?

2

:

como mucho at the most;

10 meses dan para mucho o

dan mucho de sí you can do a lot in 10 months;

no es ni con mucho he is far from being …;

ni mucho menos far from it;

por mucho que however much

* * *

mucho adv

1) : much, a lot

mucho más: much more

le gusta mucho: he likes it a lot

2) : long, a long time

tardó mucho en venir: he was a long time getting here

3)

por mucho que : no matter how much

mucho, - cha adj

1) : a lot of, many, much

mucha gente: a lot of people

hace mucho tiempo que no lo veo: I haven't seen him in ages

2)

muchas veces : often

mucho, - cha pron

1) : a lot, many, much

hay mucho que hacer: there is a lot to do

muchas no vinieron: many didn't come

2)

cuando mucho or

como mucho : at most

3)

con mucho : by far

4)

ni mucho menos : not at all, far from it

* * *

mucho¹ adj

1. (en general) a lot of / lots of

como mucho queso I eat a lot of cheese

lee muchos libros he reads a lot of books lots of es lo mismo que a lot of, pero un poco más familiar

como mucho queso I eat lots of cheese Much es singular y suele sustituir a lot of en frases negativas e interrogativas

no tenemos mucho tiempo we haven't got much time

¿ganas mucho dinero? do you earn much money? many es plural y suele sustituir a lot of en frases negativas e interrogativas

no tiene muchos amigos he hasn't got many friends

¿marcaste muchos goles? did you score many goals?

2. (otras expresiones) very

hace mucho calor it's very hot

tengo muchas ganas de verte I'm really looking forward to seeing you

mucho² adv

1. (en general) a lot

esta planta ha crecido mucho this plant has grown a lot

los atletas se entrenan mucho athletes train a lot

me gusta mucho I like it a lot

trabajamos mucho we work hard

lo siento mucho I'm very sorry / I'm really sorry

2. (comparaciones) much

era mucho más fácil de lo que pensaba it was much easier than I thought

comes mucho más que yo you eat much more than me

3. (mucho tiempo) a long time

hace mucho que no te veo I haven't see you for a long time

como mucho at the most

ni con mucho nowhere near as

ni mucho menos far from

no está acabado, ni mucho menos it is far from finished

por mucho que however much

mucho³ pron

1. (en singular frases afirmativas) a lot

aún me queda mucho por hacer I've still got a lot left to do

2. (en singular frases negativas e interrogativas) much / a lot

no es mucho lo que pides you're not asking for much

3. (con plurales) many / a lot

muchos de sus amigos acudieron many of his friends came

Spanish-English dictionary > mucho

15 beaucoup

beaucoup [boku]

adverb

   a. (modifiant verbe) a lot ; (modifiant adverbe) much

• il mange beaucoup he eats a lot

• pas beaucoup not much

• elle ne lit pas beaucoup she doesn't read much

• il y a beaucoup à voir there's a lot to see

• beaucoup plus rapide much quicker

• elle travaille beaucoup trop she works far too much

• se sentir beaucoup mieux to feel much better

• beaucoup plus d'eau much more water

• beaucoup pensent que... a lot of people think that...

• beaucoup d'entre eux a lot or many of them

► beaucoup de (quantité) a lot of

• beaucoup de monde a lot of people

• avec beaucoup de soin with great care

• il ne reste pas beaucoup de pain there isn't much bread left

• j'ai beaucoup (de choses) à faire I have a lot (of things) to do

• il en reste beaucoup/il n'en reste pas beaucoup there is a lot left/there isn't much left

• il a eu beaucoup de chance he's been very lucky► pas beaucoup de (quantité) not much ; (nombre) not many

► de beaucoup by far

• de beaucoup la meilleure by far the best

• il est de beaucoup supérieur he is far superior

• il préférerait de beaucoup s'en aller he'd much rather leave

• il s'en faut de beaucoup qu'il soit au niveau he's nowhere near up to standard

   b. (locutions) c'est déjà beaucoup it's quite something

• c'est beaucoup dire that's an exaggeration

• il y est pour beaucoup he's had a lot to do with it

* * *
boku
1.

adverbe

1) ( modifiant un verbe) a lot; ( dans les phrases interrogatives et négatives) much

aimer beaucoup quelqu'un/quelque chose — to like somebody/something a lot ou a great deal

la fin du roman surprend beaucoup — the ending of the novel is very surprising

s'intéresser beaucoup à quelque chose — to be very interested in something

je n'ai pas beaucoup aimé le concert — I didn't enjoy the concert very much

il n'écrit plus beaucoup — he doesn't write much any more

beaucoup à boire — a lot to drink

c'est beaucoup dire — that's going a bit far

c'est déjà beaucoup qu'elle soit venue — it's already quite something that she came

2) ( modifiant un adverbe) much, far

elle va beaucoup mieux — she's much ou a lot better

beaucoup moins/plus d'argent — far ou much less/more money

beaucoup moins de livres — far fewer books

beaucoup plus vite — much faster

beaucoup trop — far too much, much too much

beaucoup trop grand — far ou much too big

3) ( un grand nombre)

beaucoup de — a lot of [objets, idées]; ( dans les phrases interrogatives et négatives) much, many; ( une grande quantité)

beaucoup de — a lot of, a great deal of [argent, eau, bruit]

il ne reste plus beaucoup de pain — there isn't much bread left

il n'y a pas beaucoup de monde — there aren't many ou a lot of people

4) ( avec valeur pronominale) many

beaucoup sont retraités — many are pensioners

2.

de beaucoup locution adverbiale by far

3.

pour beaucoup locution adverbiale

ta réussite est due pour beaucoup à — your success is largely due to

être pour beaucoup dans — to have a lot to do with

* * *
boku
1. adv

1) (= en grande quantité) a lot

Il boit beaucoup. — He drinks a lot.

Il ne boit pas beaucoup. — He doesn't drink much., He doesn't drink a lot.

2) (suivi de plus, moins, trop) much, a lot

il est beaucoup plus grand — he is much taller, he is a lot taller

3)

beaucoup de — a lot of, many

beaucoup d'étudiants — a lot of students, many students

beaucoup de touristes — a lot of tourists, many tourists

Elle fait beaucoup de fautes. — She makes a lot of mistakes.

beaucoup de courage — a lot of courage

Il y avait beaucoup de monde au concert. — There were a lot of people at the concert.

J'ai eu beaucoup de chance. — I was very lucky.

pas beaucoup de (nombre) — not many, not a lot of

Il n'y a pas beaucoup de touristes. — There aren't many tourists., There aren't a lot of tourists., (quantité) not much, not a lot of

Il n'a pas beaucoup d'argent. — He hasn't got much money., He hasn't got a lot of money.

4)

de beaucoup — by far

2. pron

1) (personnes) a lot of people, many

Beaucoup le savent. — A lot of people know that.

2) (choses) a lot, many

Beaucoup ont été endommagés durant le transport. — A lot were damaged in transport., Many were damaged in transport.

* * *

beaucoup ⇒ Les quantités

A adv

1 ( modifiant un verbe) a lot; ( dans les phrases interrogatives et négatives) much; gagner/écrire/risquer beaucoup to earn/to write/to risk a lot ou a great deal; je vous remercie beaucoup thank you very much; aimer beaucoup qn/qch to like sb/sth a lot ou a great deal; elle va beaucoup au théâtre she goes to the theatre^GB a lot ou a great deal; je n'apprécie pas beaucoup leur comportement I don't much care for their behaviour^GB; la fin du roman surprend beaucoup the ending of the novel is very surprising; s'intéresser beaucoup à qch to be very interested in sth; il a beaucoup changé he has changed a lot ou a great deal; j'ai beaucoup aimé le concert I enjoyed the concert a lot ou very much ou a great deal; je n'ai pas beaucoup aimé le concert I didn't enjoy the concert very much; il n'écrit plus beaucoup he doesn't write much any more; a-t-il beaucoup joué ces derniers temps? has he played much recently?; beaucoup à boire a lot to drink; il a encore beaucoup à apprendre he still has a lot to learn; vous avez déjà fait beaucoup pour moi you've already done a lot ou a great deal for me; c'est beaucoup dire that's going a bit far; c'est beaucoup pour ton âge it's a lot for your age; ils sont 40 élèves par classe, c'est beaucoup there are 40 pupils in each class, that's a lot; c'est déjà beaucoup qu'elle soit venue it's already quite something that she came; c'est déjà beaucoup s'il ne nous met pas dehors it'll already be something if he doesn't throw us out;

2 ( modifiant un adverbe) much, far; elle va beaucoup mieux she's much ou a lot better; beaucoup moins much less; beaucoup moins d'argent far ou much less money; beaucoup moins de gens/de livres far fewer people/books; c'est beaucoup moins difficile qu'avant it's much easier than before, it's much less difficult than before; beaucoup plus much more, a lot more; beaucoup plus d'argent far ou much more money; il travaille beaucoup plus vite que moi he works much faster than I do; beaucoup trop far too much, much too much; il est resté beaucoup trop longtemps he stayed far ou much too long; c'est beaucoup trop grand it's far ou much too big; j'en ai déjà beaucoup trop dit I've already said far ou much too much;

3 ( un grand nombre) beaucoup de a lot of, lots of○ [objets, problèmes, idées]; ( dans les phrases interrogatives et négatives) much, many; ( une grande quantité) beaucoup de a lot of, a great deal of [argent, eau, bruit, chaleur] ; j'ai mangé beaucoup de cerises I've eaten a lot of cherries; il y a beaucoup de moustiques cette année there are a lot of mosquitoes this year; il ne reste plus beaucoup de places pour le concert there aren't many seats left for the concert; des gens intéressants j'en ai rencontré beaucoup au cours de mes voyages I met a lot of interesting people during my travels; a-t-il gagné beaucoup de matchs? did he win many matches?; cela ne m'a pas pris beaucoup de temps it didn't take me much time; il ne reste plus beaucoup de pain there isn't much bread left; il n'y a pas beaucoup de monde there aren't many ou a lot of people; avec beaucoup de gentillesse very kindly; avec beaucoup de soin very carefully, with great care; il a du courage et même beaucoup he has courage, and a lot of it;

4 ( avec valeur pronominale) many; parmi ces gâteaux, beaucoup me tentent I find many ou a lot of these cakes tempting; beaucoup des lieux que nous avons visités many ou a lot of the places we visited; beaucoup de ces gens/d'entre eux many ou a lot of these people/of them; beaucoup sont retraités many are pensioners; le soir certains lisent, beaucoup regardent la télévision in the evenings some read, many watch television; beaucoup sont tentés de le croire many are inclined to believe it.

B de beaucoup loc adv by far; elle le surpasse de beaucoup she surpasses him by far; elle est de beaucoup la plus intelligente she's by far the most intelligent; je préfère de beaucoup la musique baroque I prefer baroque music by far, I much prefer baroque music; ma montre retarde de beaucoup my watch is very slow; il s'en faut de beaucoup qu'elle ait le niveau she's nowhere near up to standard; il ne s'en est pas fallu de beaucoup qu'il remportât le championnat he came very close to winning the championship.

C pour beaucoup loc adv il compte pour beaucoup dans la réussite du projet he counts for a lot in the success of the project; ta réussite est due pour beaucoup à your success is largely due to; être pour beaucoup dans to have a lot to do with.

[boku] adverbe

1. [modifiant un verbe] a lot, a great deal

[dans des phrases interrogatives ou négatives] much, a lot, a great deal

il travaille beaucoup he works a lot ou a great deal

je ne l'ai pas beaucoup vu I didn't see much of him

je vous remercie beaucoup thank you very much (indeed)

ils ne s'apprécient pas beaucoup they don't like each other much

2. [modifiant un adverbe] much, a lot

beaucoup moins intéressant much ou a lot less interesting

beaucoup trop fort much ou far too loud

il parle beaucoup trop he talks far too much

en faire beaucoup trop to overdo it

3. [de nombreuses personnes] many, a lot

[de nombreuses choses] a lot

il n'y en a pas beaucoup qui réussissent not a lot of people ou not many succeed

nous étions beaucoup à le croire many ou a lot of us believed it

c'est déjà beaucoup qu'il y soit allé! at least he went!

il est pour beaucoup dans son succès he played a large part in ou he had a great deal to do with her success

c'est beaucoup dire that's a bit of an overstatement

4. [modifiant un adjectif]

imprudent, il l'est même beaucoup he's really quite careless

————————

beaucoup de locution déterminante

[suivi d'un nom comptable] many, a lot of

[suivi d'un nom non comptable] much, a lot of, a great deal of

beaucoup de monde a lot of people

beaucoup d'entre nous many ou a lot of us

elle a beaucoup de goût she has a lot of ou a great deal of taste

il ne nous reste plus beaucoup de temps we've not got much time left

il y en a beaucoup there is/are a lot

————————

de beaucoup locution adverbiale

1. [avec un comparatif ou un superlatif] by far

elle est de beaucoup la plus douée she's the most talented by far, she is by far the most talented

il est mon aîné de beaucoup he's considerably older than I am

2. [avec un verbe]

il a gagné de beaucoup he won easily

il te dépasse de beaucoup he's far ou much taller than you

je préférerais de beaucoup rester I'd much rather stay

as-tu raté ton train de beaucoup? did you miss your train by much?

je la préfère, et de beaucoup I much prefer her

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > beaucoup

16 moins

moins [mwɛ̃]

━━━━━━━━━

1. adverb

2. preposition

3. masculine noun

4. compounds

━━━━━━━━━

1. <

   a. (comparatif) less

• beaucoup moins much less

• un peu moins a little less

• tellement moins so much less

• encore moins even less

• trois fois moins three times less

• non moins célèbre no less famous

• nous sortons moins we go out less

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► moins se traduit souvent par not as.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• c'est moins rapide it's not as fast

• il fait moins chaud ici it's not as hot in here

► moins... que less... than

• il est moins intelligent qu'elle he's less intelligent than her

• cela m'a coûté moins que rien it cost me next to nothing

• je l'ai eu pour moins que rien I got it for next to nothing

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Les expressions du type moins... que sont souvent traduites par l'équivalent anglais de pas aussi... que.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• c'est moins grand que je ne croyais it's not as big as I thought it was

• il travaille moins que vous he doesn't work as hard as you

• j'aime moins la campagne en hiver qu'en été I don't like the countryside as much in winter as in summer

► moins de + nom non comptable less

• je mange moins de pain qu'avant I eat less bread than I used to► moins de + nom comptable

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► Avec un nom comptable, la traduction correcte est fewer, mais la plupart des gens disent less.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ fewer less

• il y aura moins de monde demain there'll be fewer people tomorrow there'll be less people tomorrow

• mange moins de bonbons don't eat so many sweets

► moins de + nombre

• les moins de 25 ans the under-25s

• les enfants de moins de quatre ans children under four

• nous l'avons fait en moins de cinq minutes we did it in less than five minutes

• il y a moins de deux ans qu'il vit ici he's been living here for less than two years

• il était un peu moins de 6 heures it was just before 6 o'clock

• la frontière est à moins de 3 km the border is less than 3km away► deux fois moins

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

► deux fois moins se traduit souvent par half.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

• c'est deux fois moins grand it's half the size

• cela coûtait deux fois moins it was half the price

► moins... moins the less... the less ; (avec nom comptable) the fewer... the fewer

• moins je mange, moins j'ai d'appétit the less I eat, the less hungry I feel

• moins il y a de clients, moins j'ai de travail the fewer customers I have, the less work I have to do► moins... plus

• moins je fume, plus je mange the less I smoke, the more I eat► moins... mieux

• moins je fume, mieux je me porte the less I smoke, the better I feel

• moins j'ai de coups de fil, mieux je travaille the fewer phone calls I get, the more work I can do► à moins

• vous ne l'obtiendrez pas à moins you won't get it for less

• il est fatigué -- on le serait à moins he's tired -- that's hardly surprising► à moins de

• à moins d'un accident, ça devrait marcher barring accidents, it should work

• il jouera, à moins d'un imprévu he'll be playing unless something unexpected happens

• à moins de faire une bêtise, il devrait gagner unless he does something silly he should win► à moins que

• à moins qu'il ne vienne unless he comes► de moins

• il gagne 500 euros de moins qu'elle he earns 500 euros less than she does

• vous avez cinq ans de moins qu'elle you're five years younger than her► de moins en moins less and less

• c'est de moins en moins utile it's less and less useful

• il entend de moins en moins bien his hearing is getting worse and worse

• il a de moins en moins de clients he has fewer and fewer customers

• j'ai de moins en moins de temps libre I have less and less free time► en moins

• il y a trois verres en moins there are three glasses missing

• ça me fera du travail en moins ! that'll be less work for me!

• en moins de rien in next to no time

• en moins de deux (inf) in next to no time► pas moins

• pas moins de 40 km les sépare de la ville la plus proche they're at least 40km from the nearest town

• gravement malade, il n'en continue pas moins d'écrire despite being seriously ill, he still continues to write

• il n'en reste pas moins que... the fact remains that...

• il n'en est pas moins vrai que... it is no less true that...

   b. (superlatif) least

• le moins the least

► le moins, la moins, les moins (de plusieurs) the least ; (de deux) the less

• c'est le moins doué de mes élèves he's the least gifted of my pupils

• c'est le moins doué des deux he's the less gifted of the two

• les fleurs les moins chères the least expensive flowers► le moins + verbe the least

• c'est celle que j'aime le moins it's the one I like the least

• l'émission que je regarde le moins the programme I watch least often

• c'est bien le moins qu'on puisse faire it's the least one can do

• c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire ! that's putting it mildly!► le moins possible as little as possible

• je lui parle le moins possible I talk to him as little as possible

• j'y resterai le moins de temps possible I won't stay there any longer than I have to

2. <

   a. (soustraction, nombre négatif) minus

• 6 moins 2 font 4 6 minus 2 equals 4

• il fait moins 5 it's minus 5°

   b. (heure) to

• il est 4 heures moins 5 it's 5 to 4

• il est moins 10 (inf) it's 10 to (inf)

3. <

► au moins at least

• elle a payé cette robe au moins 3 000 € she paid at least 3,000 euros for that dress

• 600 au moins at least 600► du moins (restriction) at least

• il ne pleuvra pas, du moins c'est ce qu'annonce la radio it's not going to rain, at least that's what it says on the radio

• j'arriverai vers 4 heures, du moins si l'avion n'a pas de retard I'll be there around 4 o'clock - if the plane's on time, that is► pour le moins to say the least

• sa décision est pour le moins bizarre his decision is odd to say the least

4. <

► moins que rien (inf) masculine noun

( = minable) complete loser (inf)

• on les traite comme des moins que rien they're treated like scum ► moins-value feminine noun depreciation

* * *

I
1. mwɛ̃
préposition

1) ( dans une soustraction) minus

2) ( pour dire l'heure) to

il est huit heures moins dix — it's ten (minutes) to eight

il est moins vingt — (colloq) it's twenty to (colloq)

il était moins une (colloq) or moins cinq — (colloq) it was a close shave (colloq)

3) ( dans une température) minus

2.

adverbe

1) ( modifiant un verbe) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif)

le moins — the least

ils sortent moins — they go out less often

c'est moins une question d'argent qu'une question de principe — it's not so much a question of money as a question of principle

de moins en moins — less and less

moins je sors, moins j'ai envie de sortir — the less I go out, the less I feel like going out

qui travaille le moins de tous? — who works the least of all?

le film qui m'a le moins plu — the film I liked the least

ce que j'aime le moins chez lui — what I like least about him

2) ( modifiant un adjectif) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif)

le moins, la moins, les moins — ( de deux) the less; ( de plus de deux) the least

il est moins grand que son père — he's not as tall as his father

il est moins menteur que sa sœur — he's less of a liar than his sister

les jeunes et les moins jeunes — the young and the not so young

dans le livre il y a du bon et du moins bon — in the book, there are bits that are good and bits that are not so good

il n'en est pas moins vrai que — it's nonetheless true that

le même en moins gros — the same, only thinner

un individu des moins recommandables — a most unsavoury individual

3) ( modifiant un adverbe) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif)

le moins — least

tu devrais rester moins longtemps dans le sauna — you shouldn't stay so long in the sauna

elle chante moins bien qu'avant — she doesn't sing as well as she used to

le moins souvent — (the) least often

3.

moins de déterminant indéfini

1) ( avec un nom)

moins de livres — fewer books

moins de graisses — less fat

moins de sucre/bruit — less sugar/noise

il a parlé avec moins de hargne — he spoke less aggressively

il y a moins de monde aujourd'hui qu'hier — there are fewer people today than there were yesterday

c'est lui qui a le moins d'expérience des trois — of the three he's the one with the least experience

2) ( avec un numéral)

en moins de trois heures — in less than three hours

il est moins de 3 heures — it's not quite 3 o'clock

les moins de 20 ans — people under 20, the under-twenties

4.

à moins locution adverbiale

on serait furieux à moins — it's more than enough to make one angry

5.

à moins de locution prépositive

à moins de partir maintenant — unless we/you etc leave now

à moins d'un miracle — unless there's a miracle

6.

à moins que locution conjonctive

à moins qu'il ne veuille venir — unless he wants to come

7.

à tout le moins locution adverbiale to say the least

8.

au moins locution adverbiale at least

tout au moins — at least

tu l'as remercié, au moins? — you did thank him, didn't you?

9.

de moins locution adverbiale

ça m'a pris deux heures de moins — it took me two hours less

le kilo de pêches valait dix centimes de moins que la veille — a kilo of peaches cost 10 cents less than it had the day before

j'ai un an de moins que lui — I'm a year younger than he is

il a obtenu 25% de voix de moins que son adversaire — he got 25% fewer votes than his opponent

10.

du moins locution adverbiale at least

c'est du moins ce qu'il m'a raconté — at least that's what he told me

si du moins tu es d'accord — that is if you agree

11.

en moins locution adverbiale

il y avait deux fourchettes en moins dans la boîte — there were two forks missing from the box

il est revenu du front avec une jambe en moins/avec un doigt en moins — he came back from the front with only one leg/with a finger missing

c'est tout le portrait de son père, la moustache en moins — he's the spitting image of his father without the moustache GB ou mustache US

12.

pour le moins locution adverbiale to say the least

II mwɛ̃
nom masculin invariable

1) Mathématique minus

le signe moins — the minus sign

2) (colloq) ( inconvénient) minus

•

Phrasal Verbs:

- moins que rien

••

moins I

Généralités

La traduction en anglais de moins est less. Cependant, elle n'est utilisée que dans un nombre de cas assez restreint: en moins de trois jours = in less than three days

Très souvent, même quand une traduction avec less est possible, l'anglais a recours à d'autres moyens. Certains sont réguliers: ma chambre est moins grande que la tienne = my bedroom isn't as big as yours; j'ai moins d'expérience que toi = I don't have as much experience as you (do), = I have less experience than you (do); c'est moins compliqué que vous ne le croyez = it's not as complicated as you think, = it's less complicated than you think

D'autres ne le sont pas: j'essaie de moins fumer = I'm trying to cut down on my smoking, = I'm trying to smoke less

moins de

Lorsque moins de, déterminant indéfini, est suivi d'un nom dénombrable, la règle voudrait que l'on traduise par fewer mais dans la langue parlée on utilise également less

Les expressions le moins possible, le moins du monde sont traitées respectivement sous possible et monde

On trouvera ci-dessous exemples et exceptions illustrant les différentes fonctions de moins

On pourra également se reporter aux notes d'usage portant notamment sur la quantité, l'expression de l'âge, etc. Consulter l'index

* * *
mwɛ̃
1. adv

1) (comparatif) less

moins que — less than

moins grand que — not as tall as

de moins — less

100 euros de moins — 100 euros less

3 jours de moins — 3 days less

Il a trois ans de moins que moi. — He's three years younger than me.

Nous avons trois jours de vacances de moins que l'an dernier. — We have three days holiday less than last year.

Il est moins intelligent que moi. — He's not as clever as me.

Moins je travaille, mieux je me porte. — The less I work, the better I feel.

2) (superlatif)

le moins — least, the least

le moins doué; la moins douée — the least gifted

C'est ce que j'aime le moins. — It's what I like least., It's what I like the least.

C'est l'album que j'aime le moins. — This is the album I like the least., This is the album I least like.

C'est le modèle le moins cher. — It's the least expensive model.

Ce sont les plages qui sont les moins polluées. — These are the least polluted beaches.

3)

moins de (livres, gens) — fewer, (sable, eau, sel) less

moins de sable — less sand

moins d'eau — less water

moins de 2 ans — less than 2 years

Ça coûte moins de deux cents euros. — It costs less than 200 euros.

moins de livres — fewer books

moins de gens — fewer people

Il y a moins de gens aujourd'hui. — There are fewer people today.

Il est moins de midi. — It's not yet midday.

4) (autres locutions)

en moins; de l'argent en moins — less money

Cette année nous avons trois jours de vacances en moins. — We have three days less holiday this year.

le soleil en moins — without the sun, minus the sun

L'endroit ressemble assez à la Côte d'Azur, le soleil en moins. — The place is quite like the Riviera, without the sun.

au moins — at least

Ne te plains pas: au moins il ne pleut pas! — Don't complain: at least it's not raining!

pour le moins — at the very least

à moins de; à moins que — unless

à moins de faire; à moins que tu ne fasses — unless you do

Je te retrouverai à dix heures à moins que le train n'ait du retard. — I'll meet you at 10 o'clock unless the train is late.

à moins d'un accident — barring accidents

de moins en moins — less and less

Il vient nous voir de moins en moins. — He comes to see us less and less often.

en moins de deux — in a flash

2. prép

1) (soustraction) minus

4 moins 2 — 4 minus 2

2) (température) minus

Il fait moins 5. — It's minus 5., It's 5 below., It's 5 degrees below freezing.

Il a fait moins cinq la nuit dernière. — It was minus five last night.

3) (heure)

dix heures moins cinq — five to ten

Il est cinq heures moins dix. — It's ten to five.

Il est moins cinq. — It's five to.

3. nm

(= signe) minus sign

* * *

I.

moins ⇒ Note d'usage

A prép

1 ( dans une soustraction) minus; 8 moins 3 égale 5 8 minus 3 is ou equals 5; il a retrouvé sa voiture, moins les roues he got his car back without ou minus hum the wheels;

2 ( pour dire l'heure) to; il est huit heures moins dix it's ten (minutes) to eight; il est moins vingt○ it's twenty to○, it's twenty minutes to the hour; il était moins une○ or moins cinq○ it was a close shave○;

3 ( dans une température) minus; il faisait moins 15 degrés it was minus 15 (degrees).

B adv

1 ( modifiant un verbe) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif) le moins the least; je lis moins ces derniers temps I read less these days; ils sortent moins maintenant qu'ils ont un enfant they don't go out as much ou they go out less often now that they have a child; il importe moins de changer le règlement que de le faire appliquer changing the rule is less important than implementing it; je gagne moins qu'elle I earn less than she does, I don't earn as much as she does; c'est moins un artiste qu'un bon artisan he' s not so much an artist as a good craftsman; c'est moins une question d'argent qu'une question de principe it's not so much a question of money as a question of principle; de moins en moins less and less; moins je sors, moins j'ai envie de sortir the less I go out, the less I feel like going out; moins je le vois, mieux je me porte the less I see him, the better I feel; c'est lui qui travaille le moins de tous he's the one who works the least of all; le film qui m'a le moins plu the film I liked the least; ce que j'aime le moins chez lui what I like least about him;

2 ( modifiant un adjectif) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif) le moins, la moins, les moins ( de deux) the less; ( de plus de deux) the least; il est moins grand/doué que son père he's not as tall/gifted as his father; c'est moins facile qu'il n'y paraît it's not as easy as it seems; il est moins menteur que sa sœur he's less of a liar than his sister; c'est moins problématique que je ne croyais it's less problematic ou less of a problem than I thought, it's not as problematic as I thought; les jeunes et les moins jeunes the young and the not so young; dans le livre il y a du bon et du moins bon in the book, there are bits that are good and bits that are not so good; il n'en est pas moins vrai que it's nonetheless true that; il ressemble à son frère en moins gros he looks like his brother, only thinner; ce sont les employés les moins compétents de l'entreprise they're the least competent employees in the company; un individu des moins recommandables a most unsavoury individual;

3 ( modifiant un adverbe) ( comparatif) less; ( superlatif) le moins least; tu devrais rester moins longtemps dans le sauna you shouldn't stay so long in the sauna; elle chante moins bien qu'avant she doesn't sing as well as she used to; il fait moins beau que l'an dernier the weather isn't as good as it was last year; c'est le moins bien payé des deux he's the less well-paid of the two; le moins souvent (the) least often.

C moins de dét indéf

1 ( avec un nom dénombrable) moins de livres/d'assiettes/d'arguments fewer books/plates/arguments; j'ai moins de livres que toi I don't have as many books as you ou I have fewer books than you; mangez moins de graisses eat less fat; il y a moins de candidats there are fewer candidates; ils ont moins de chances d'être élus they are less likely to be elected; les éditeurs publient moins de livres publishers are publishing fewer books; pas moins de no fewer than;

2 ( avec un nom non dénombrable) moins de sucre/vin/papier less sugar/wine/paper; moins de bruit/lumière less noise/light; il a parlé avec moins de hargne he spoke less aggressively; il y a moins de monde aujourd'hui qu'hier there are fewer people today than there were yesterday; pas moins de no less than; c'est lui qui a le moins d'expérience des trois of the three he's the one with the least experience;

3 ( avec un numéral) en moins de trois heures in less than three hours; dans moins de trois heures in less than three hours; le voyage a duré un peu moins de trois heures the journey took a bit less than ou just under three hours; il est moins de 3 heures it's not quite 3 o'clock; les enfants de moins de 6 ans children under 6; les moins de 20 ans people under 20, the under-twenties; une planche de moins de deux m ètres de long a plank less than two metres^GB long; moins de huit candidats fewer than eight candidates; tu ne trouveras rien à moins de 500 euros you won't find anything for less than 500 euros ou for under 500 euros; ça m'a coûté moins de 200 euros it cost me less than 200 euros ou under 200 euros.

D à moins loc adv on serait furieux à moins it's more than enough to make one angry.

E à moins de loc prép à moins de partir maintenant, il n'arrivera pas à l'heure unless he leaves now he won't get there on time; à moins d'un miracle il va échouer unless there's a miracle, he's going to fail.

F à moins que loc conj à moins qu'il ne veuille venir unless he wants to come.

G à tout le moins loc adv to say the least.

H au moins loc adv at least; tout au moins at least; il y avait au moins 3 000 personnes there were at least 3,000 people; au moins, lui, il a réussi dans la vie he, at least, succeeded in life; tu l'as remercié, au moins? you did thank him, didn't you?

I de moins loc adv ça m'a pris deux heures de moins it took me two hours less; le kilo de pêches valait deux euros de moins que la veille a kilo of peaches cost two euros less than it had the day before; j'ai un an de moins que lui I'm a year younger than he is; il a obtenu 25% de voix de moins que son adversaire he got 25% fewer votes than his opponent.

J du moins loc adv at least; c'est du moins ce qu'il m'a raconté at least that's what he told me; si du moins tu es d'accord that is if you agree.

K en moins loc adv il y avait deux fourchettes en moins dans la boîte there were two forks missing from the box; il est revenu du front avec une jambe en moins/avec un doigt en moins he came back from the front with only one leg/with a finger missing; c'est tout le portrait de son père, la moustache en moins he's/she's the spitting image of his/her father without the moustache GB ou mustache US.

L pour le moins loc adv to say the least; ton attitude est pour le moins étrange your attitude is strange to say the least (of it).

II.

moins nm inv

1 Math minus; le signe moins the minus sign;

2 ○( inconvénient) minus.

Composé

moins que rien nmf good-for-nothing, nobody.

[mwɛ̃] adverbe

A.[COMPARATIF D'INFÉRIORITÉ]

1. [avec un adjectif, un adverbe] less

cinq fois moins cher five times less expensive

deux fois moins cher half as expensive, twice as cheap

en moins rapide but not so ou as fast

c'est moins bien que l'an dernier it's not as good a last year

c'est le même appartement, en moins bien/grand it's the same flat only not as nice/not as big

beaucoup/un peu moins a lot/a little less

il est moins timide que réservé he's not so much shy as reserved

il n'en est pas moins vrai que... it is nonetheless true that...

non moins charmante que... just as charming as..., no less charming than...

2. [avec un verbe] less, not... so ou as much

je souffre moins I'm not in so much ou I'm in less pain

tu devrais demander moins you shouldn't ask for so much

moins tu parles, mieux ça vaut the less you speak, the better

j'y pense moins que tu ne le crois I think about it less than you think

B.[SUPERLATIF D'INFÉRIORITÉ]

1. [avec un adjectif, un adverbe]

c'est lui le moins riche des trois he's the least wealthy of the three

c'est elle la moins intelligente des deux she's the less intelligent of the two

c'est le sommet le moins élevé it's the lowest peak

c'est le modèle le moins cher qu'on puisse trouver it's the least expensive (that) you can find

le moins possible as little as possible

c'est lui qui habite le moins loin he lives the least far away ou the nearest

je ne suis pas le moins du monde surpris I'm not at all ou not in the least bit surprised

je vous dérange? — mais non, pas le moins du monde am I disturbing you? — of course not ou not in the slightest

2. [avec un verbe]

le moins (the) least

le moins qu'on puisse faire, c'est de les inviter the least we could do is invite them

c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire! that's the least you can say!

————————

[mwɛ̃] préposition

1. [en soustrayant]

dix moins huit font deux ten minus ou less eight makes two

on est seize: moins les enfants, ça fait douze there are sixteen of us, twelve not counting the children

2. [indiquant l'heure]

il est moins vingt it's twenty to

il est 3 h moins le quart it's (a) quarter to 3

il était moins une ou cinq (familier) that was a close call ou shave

3. [introduisant un nombre négatif]

moins 50 plus moins 6 égalent moins 56 minus 50 plus minus 6 is ou makes minus 56

il fait moins 25 it's 25 below ou minus 25

plonger à moins 300 m to dive to a depth of 300 m

————————

[mwɛ̃] nom masculin

minus (sign)

————————

à moins locution adverbiale

j'étais terrifié — on le serait à moins! I was terrified — and lesser things have frightened me!

————————

à moins de locution prépositionnelle

1. [excepté]

à moins d'un miracle short of ou barring a miracle

nous n'arriverons pas à temps, à moins de partir demain we won't get there on time unless we leave tomorrow

2. [pour moins de] for less than

3. [dans le temps, l'espace]

il habite à moins de 10 minutes/500 mètres d'ici he lives less than 10 minutes/500 metres from here

————————

à moins que locution conjonctive

unless

à moins que vous ne vouliez le faire vous-même... unless you wanted to do it yourself...

————————

au moins locution adverbiale

1. [en tout cas] at least

2. [au minimum] at least

ça fait au moins un mois qu'on ne l'a pas vu we haven't seen him for at least a month

————————

de moins locution adverbiale

il y a 100 euros de moins dans le tiroir there are 100 euros missing from the drawer

je me sens 10 ans de moins I feel 10 years younger

(en corrélation avec 'que')

j'ai un an de moins qu'elle I'm a year younger than her

j'ai une tête de moins qu'elle I'm shorter than her by a head

de moins en moins locution adverbiale

less and less

de moins en moins souvent less and less often

de moins en moins de locution déterminante

[suivi d'un nom comptable] fewer and fewer

[suivi d'un nom non comptable] less and less

il y a de moins en moins de demande pour ce produit there is less and less demand for this product

————————

des moins locution adverbiale

un accueil des moins chaleureux a less than warm welcome

————————

du moins locution adverbiale

at least

ils devaient venir samedi, c'est du moins ce qu'ils nous avaient dit they were supposed to come on saturday, at least that's what they told us

————————

en moins locution adverbiale

il y a une chaise en moins there's one chair missing, we're one chair short

————————

en moins de locution prépositionnelle

in less than

en moins de temps qu'il n'en faut pour le dire before you can say Jack Robinson

en moins de rien in no time at all

en moins de deux (familier) in a jiffy, in two ticks

————————

moins de locution déterminante

1. (comparatif) [avec un nom comptable] fewer

[avec un nom non comptable] less

un peu moins de bruit! a little less noise!

il a moins de 18 ans he's under 18

les moins de 18 ans the under 18's

il ne me faudra pas moins de 3 heures pour tout faire I'll need no less than ou at the very least 3 hours to do everything

2. (superlatif)

le moins de

a. [avec un nom comptable] the fewest

b. [avec un nom non comptable] the least

c'est ce qui consomme le moins d'énergie it uses the least amount of energy

————————

moins... moins locution correlative

the less... the less

moins il travaillera, moins il aura de chances de réussir à son examen the less he works, the less chance he'll have of passing his exam

————————

moins... plus locution correlative

the less... the more

————————

moins que rien locution adverbiale

next to nothing

————————

moins que rien nom masculin et féminin

nobody

c'est un/une moins que rien he's/she's a nobody

des moins que rien a useless bunch (of individuals)

on ne peut moins locution adverbiale

elle est on ne peut moins honnête she's as honest as they come

c'est on ne peut moins compliqué! it couldn't be less complicated!

pour le moins locution adverbiale

at the very least, to say the least

il y a pour le moins une heure d'attente there's an hour's wait at the very least

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > moins

17 combien

combien [kɔ̃bjɛ̃]

1. adverb

   a. combien de (quantité) how much ; (nombre) how many

• combien de bouteilles veux-tu ? how many bottles do you want?

• tu en as pour combien de temps ? how long will you be?

• depuis combien de temps travaillez-vous ici ? how long have you been working here?

• combien de fois ? (nombre) how many times? ; (fréquence) how often?

   b. combien (d'entre eux) how many (of them)

• combien sont-ils ? how many of them are there?

   c. (formal = à quel point) si tu savais combien ça m'a agacé ! you can't imagine how annoyed I was!

• c'est étonnant de voir combien il a changé it's amazing to see how much he has changed

   d. ( = avec mesure) combien est-ce ? how much is it?

• combien ça coûte ? how much is it?

• ça fait combien ? (inf) how much is it?

• combien pèse ce colis ? how much does this parcel weigh?

• combien mesures-tu ? how tall are you?

• ça va faire une différence de combien ? what will the difference be?

• ça fait combien de haut ? how high is it?

2. masculine noun

(inf) on est le combien ? what's the date?

• il y en a tous les combien ? (fréquence) [de trains, bus] how often do they run?

* * *

I
1. kɔ̃bjɛ̃
adverbe

1) ( dans une interrogation)

combien coûte une bouteille de vin? — how much ou what does a bottle of wine cost?

combien mesure le salon? — how big is the lounge?

combien êtes-vous/sont-ils? — how many of you/them are there?

2) ( modifiant un verbe)

il est triste de voir combien la situation s'est dégradée — it's sad to see how the situation has deteriorated

il est difficile d'expliquer combien je les apprécie — it's difficult to explain how much I appreciate them

3) ( modifiant un adjectif)

c'est cher mais combien efficace! — it's expensive but so effective!

il souligne combien est précieuse l'aide de ses collègues — he stresses how valuable his colleagues' help is to him

4) ( modifiant un adverbe)

combien peu d'idées — how few ideas

combien peu d'or — how little gold

2.

combien de déterminant interrogatif

1) ( avec un nom dénombrable) how many

combien d'élèves accueillerez-vous en septembre? — how many pupils will you receive in September?

c'est à combien de kilomètres? — how far away is it?

combien de kilomètres y a-t-il entre les deux villes? — how far apart are the two towns?

combien de fois — ( nombre de fois) how many times; ( fréquence) how often

dans combien d'années? — in how many years time?

2) ( avec un nom non dénombrable) how much

de combien de pain as-tu besoin? — how much bread do you need?

combien de temps faut-il? — how long does it take?

II kɔ̃bjɛ̃
nom masculin et féminin invariable

1) ( ordre)

tu es la combien? — (colloq) ( dans une queue) how many people are before you?

2) ( date)

le combien sommes-nous?, on est le combien? — (colloq) what's the date today?

vous arrivez le combien? — what date are you arriving?

3) ( mesure)

tu chausses du combien? — what size shoes do you take?

4) ( fréquence)

tu le vois tous les combien? — how often do you see him?

* * *
kɔ̃bjɛ̃
1. adv

1) (= quantité) how much

Vous en voulez combien? Un kilo? — How much do you want? One kilo?

Combien de purée est-ce que je vous sers? — How much mashed potato shall I give you?

2) (= nombre) how many

Combien de personnes as-tu invitées? — How many people have you invited?

Tu en veux combien? Deux? — How many do you want? Two?

3) (prix) how much

c'est combien? — how much is that?

combien ça fait? — how much does it come to?

Combien est-ce que ça coûte? — How much does it cost?

Combien coûte ceci? — How much does this cost?

4) (mesure)

vous mesurez combien? — what size are you?

ça fait combien en largeur? — how wide is that?

5) (autres locutions)

combien de (quantité) — how much, (nombre) how many

combien de temps — how long

Combien de temps est-ce que tu seras absente? — How long will you be away?

il y a combien de temps? — how long ago?

Il est parti il y a combien de temps? — How long ago did he leave?

2. nm

on est le combien aujourd'hui? - - on est le vingt — what's the date today? - - it's the 20th

* * *

I.

combien

A adv

1 ⇒ Les mesures de longueur, Le poids, Les quantités, Les tailles ( dans une interrogation) combien coûte une bouteille de vin? how much ou what does a bottle of wine cost?; combien vaut le livre? how much ou what is the book worth?; combien mesure le salon? how big is the lounge?; ça fait combien? ( valeur) how much does that come to?; ( dimensions) how big is that?; ( poids) how heavy is that?; j'aimerais savoir combien il a payé son costume I'd like to know how much ou what he paid for his suit; combien êtes-vous/sont-ils? how many of you/them are there?; à combien s'évaluent leurs pertes? how much ou what do their losses come to?; combien pèse ta valise? how much ou what does your case weigh?;

2 ( adverbe de degré modifiant un verbe) il est triste de voir combien la situation s'est dégradée it's sad to see how the situation has deteriorated; elle souligne combien cette approche peut être efficace she stresses how effective this approach can be; vous voyez combien les choses ont changé you can see how (much) things have changed; il est difficile d'expliquer combien je les apprécie it's difficult to explain how much I appreciate them;

3 ( adverbe de degré modifiant un adjectif) c'est cher mais combien efficace! it's expensive but so effective!; ‘il est malin!’-‘ô combien!’ ‘he's smart!’-‘isn't he just!’; le combien célèbre chanteur the very famous singer; un travail intéressant mais ô combien difficile an interesting but very difficult job; montrer combien étaient dérisoires les efforts des sauveteurs to show how useless the rescuers' efforts were; il souligne combien est précieuse l'aide de ses collègues he stresses how valuable his colleagues' help is to him;

4 ( adverbe de degré modifiant un adverbe) il a gagné ô combien brillamment he won really ou absolutely brilliantly; combien peu d'idées how few ideas; combien peu d'or how little gold; combien plus d'argent/plus de personnes how much more money/many more people; combien moins d'argent/moins de personnes how much less money/many fewer people.

B combien de dét inter

1 ( avec un nom dénombrable) how many; combien d'élèves accueillerez-vous en janvier? how many pupils will you receive in January?; combien de candidatures avez-vous reçu? how many applications did you receive?; sais-tu combien de voitures circulent dans Paris? do you know how many cars there are in Paris?; c'est à combien de kilomètres? how far away is it?; combien de kilomètres y a-t-il entre les deux villes? how far apart are the two towns?; combien y a-t-il d'ici à la mer? how far is it to the sea?; combien de fois ( nombre de fois) how many times; ( fréquence) how often; dans combien d'années envisages-tu d'avoir des enfants? in how many years time do you intend to start a family?; sais-tu combien de jours il faut pour y aller? do you know how many days it takes to get there?;

2 ( avec un nom non dénombrable) how much; de combien de pain as-tu besoin? how much bread do you need?; combien de pain reste-t-il? how much bread is left?; combien de temps faut-il? how long does it take?; tu es là depuis combien de temps? how long have you been here?; on arrive dans combien de temps? when will we get there?; combien de temps as-tu mis pour venir? how long did it take you to get here?; dis-moi combien de temps il faut le faire cuire tell me how long it takes to cook.

II.

combien ⇒ Les tailles nmf inv

1 ( par rapport à un ordre) tu es la combien? ( dans une queue) how many people are before you?; tu es le combien à l'école? where are you in the class?; vous êtes arrivés les combien au rallye? where did you come in the rally?; ‘la sixième en partant de la gauche’-‘la combien?’ ‘the sixth from the left’-‘the which?’;

2 ( par rapport à une date) le combien sommes-nous?, on est le combien○? what's the date today?; vous arrivez le combien? what date are you arriving?;

3 ( par rapport à une mesure) tu chausses du combien? what size shoes do you take?;

4 ( par rapport à la fréquence) tu le vois tous les combien? how often do you see him?

[kɔ̃bjɛ̃] adverbe

1. [pour interroger sur une somme] how much

c'est combien?, ça fait combien? how much is it?

combien coûte ce livre? how much is this book?, how much does this book cost?

à combien doit-on affranchir cette lettre? how much postage does this letter need?

l'indice a augmenté de combien? how much has the rate gone up by?

de combien est le déficit? how large is the deficit?

2. [pour interroger sur le nombre] how many

combien sont-ils? how many of them are there?

3. [pour interroger sur la distance, la durée, la mesure etc.]

combien tu pèses? how much do you weigh?

combien tu mesures? how tall are you?

combien y a-t-il de Londres à Paris? how far is it from London to Paris?

combien dure le film? how long is the film?, how long does the film last?

il est arrivé combien? where did he come?

combien ça lui fait maintenant? (familier) how old is he now?

il y a combien entre lui et sa sœur? what's the age difference between him and his sister?

de combien votre frère est-il votre aîné? how much older than you is your brother?

4. [en emploi exclamatif] how

vous ne pouvez pas savoir combien il est distrait! you wouldn't believe how absent-minded he is!

ces mesures étaient sévères mais combien efficaces these measures were drastic but extremely efficient

c'est plus cher mais combien meilleur! it's more expensive but all the better for it!

combien plus crédible était sa première version des faits! his first version of the facts was so much more believable!

ô combien! (littéraire & humoristique) : elle a souffert, ô combien! she suffered, oh how she suffered!

————————

[kɔ̃bjɛ̃] nom masculin invariable

le combien sommes-nous? what's the date (today)?

le bus passe tous les combien? how often does the bus come?

————————

combien de locution déterminante

1. [pour interroger - suivi d'un nom non comptable] how much ; [ - suivi d'un nom comptable] how many

combien de fois how many times, how often

combien de temps resterez-vous? how long will you be staying?

2. [emploi exclamatif]

combien d'ennuis il aurait pu s'éviter! he could have saved himself so much trouble!

Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > combien

18 meno

1. adv less

superlativo least

mathematics minus

il meno possibile as little as possible

di meno at least

a meno che unless

per lo meno at least

sono le sei meno un quarto it's a quarter to six

sempre meno less and less

fare a meno di qualcosa do without something

venir meno a qualcuno forze desert someone

venir meno alla parola data not keep one's word

2. prep except

* * *

meno avv.compar.

1 (in minor quantità o grado) less; not so... (as); not as... (as): dovresti lavorare (di) meno e riposare di più, you should work less and rest more; il viaggio di ritorno mi è sembrato meno lungo, the journey back didn't seem so long (to me); quest'anno ha piovuto (di) meno, it hasn't rained so much this year; non per questo è meno intelligente, he is no less intelligent for that // più o meno, poco più poco meno, more or less // chi più chi meno, more or less (o some more some less): tutti hanno contribuito, chi più chi meno, al buon esito dell'iniziativa, everyone more or less contributed to the success of the venture (o everyone contributed to the success of the venture, some more some less) // né più né meno, just, exactly: gli ho detto né più né meno come la pensavo, I told him just (o exactly) how I felt about it; le cose sono andate né più né meno così, that's exactly what happened

2 (nel compar. di minoranza) less... (than); not so... (as), not as... (as): l'argento è meno prezioso dell'oro, silver is less precious than gold (o silver isn't as precious as gold); lui non è meno studioso di te, he studies just as much as you do (o he studies no less than you do); oggi è meno freddo di ieri, it isn't as cold today as it was yesterday (form. it is less cold than yesterday); il traffico era meno intenso del solito, the traffic wasn't as heavy as usual (o was less heavy than usual); è andata meno bene del previsto, it didn't go as well as expected

3 (correl.) (quanto) meno... (tanto) meno: the less... the less: meno si lavora, meno si lavorerebbe, the less you work, the less you feel like working; meno studi, meno impari, the less you study, the less you learn

4 (nel superl. di minoranza) the least; (fra due) the less: tra tutte le conferenze, questa è stata la meno interessante, of all the lectures, this was the least interesting; la meno preparata delle due squadre, the less fit of the (two) teams; ho intenzione di scegliere la macchina che costa meno, I'm going to choose the car that costs the least (o the cheapest car); cerca di affaticarti il meno possibile, try to tire yourself as little as possible

5 (con valore di no) not: fammi sapere se verrai o meno, let me know whether or not you're coming; mi domando se valga la pena o meno di accettare, I wonder whether or not it's worth accepting; mi hanno accreditato mille euro, meno le spese bancarie, my account was credited with one thousand euros, minus bank charges

6 (mat.) minus: sette meno tre è uguale a quattro, seven minus three is four (o three from seven leaves four) // la temperatura è meno due, the temperature is two degrees below zero // ci sono cinque euro in meno, di meno, (mancano cinque euro) there's five euros missing; ho speso dieci euro in meno, I spent ten euros less; uno di meno!, one less!; non eravamo in meno di otto, there were no less than eight of us // se avessi vent'anni di meno!, if only I were twenty years younger! // sono le otto meno cinque, it's five to eight

◆ prep. (tranne) but, except: c'erano tutti meno loro, everyone was there except (o but) them; il museo è aperto tutti i giorni meno il lunedì, the museum is open every day but (o except) Monday; ho pensato a tutto meno che a fare i biglietti, I saw to everything except the tickets.

◆ FRASEOLOGIA: tanto meno, ancora meno, even less: non ho accettato finora, tanto meno accetterei adesso, I haven't accepted so far, and now I've got even less reason to accept // meno che mai, men che meno, let alone: non sa parlare l'italiano, meno che mai l'inglese, he can't even speak Italian, let alone English // quanto meno, (perlomeno) at least: avresti potuto quanto meno farmi una telefonata, you could at least have phoned me // fare a meno di qlcu., di (fare) qlco., to do without s.o., (doing) sthg.: non potrei fare a meno di lui, I couldn't do without him; non potei fare a meno di ridere, I couldn't help laughing // venire meno, (venire a mancare) to fail; (svenire) to faint; mi venne meno il coraggio, my courage failed me; a quella notizia, mi sentii venire meno, I felt as if I was going to faint when I heard the news // venire meno alla parola data, to break one's word // essere da meno (di qlcu.), to be less than s.o. // senza meno, (region.) certainly, for sure: le telefonerò domani senza meno, I'll phone her tomorrow for sure; a meno che, a meno di, unless: lo spettacolo si terrà all'aperto, a meno che non piova, the performance will take place outdoors, unless it rains; non farei mai una cosa simile, a meno di non esservi costretto, I would never do such a thing, unless I was forced to // niente meno → nientedimeno // per lo meno → perlomeno.

meno agg.compar.invar. less; not so much, not as much; (con s. pl.) fewer; not so many, not as many: c'è meno traffico sulle strade rispetto a ieri, there's less traffic on the roads than yesterday (o there isn't as much traffic on the roads as yesterday); oggi c'è meno gente in giro, there are fewer people (o there aren't so many people) about today; se prendi l'autostrada impiegherai meno tempo, it will take you less time (o it won't take you so long) if you use the motorway; c'erano meno italiani e più stranieri, there were fewer Italians and more foreigners; ha meno amici che nemici, he has fewer friends than enemies; loro hanno meno preoccupazioni di noi, they have fewer worries than we have (o they haven't so many worries as we have); questa volta hai fatto meno errori, this time you made fewer mistakes (o you didn't make so many mistakes) // meno storie!, stop making a fuss! // meno male, thank goodness; just as well; it's a good job (o a good thing); not so bad: meno male che non si è fatto niente, thank goodness he wasn't hurt; meno male che siete arrivati in tempo, it's a good job you arrived in time; meno male, poteva andar peggio!, not so bad, things could have been worse!

◆ s.m.

1 (con valore di compar.) less, not as much: ho fatto meno di quanto avrei voluto, I did less than (o I didn't do as much as) I would have liked; ha mangiato meno del solito, he ate less than usual (o he didn't eat as much as usual); meno di così non si poteva dare, you couldn't give less than that; si accontenterebbe di molto meno, he would be satisfied with much less; oggi ho dovuto aspettare molto meno, today I didn't have nearly so long to wait (o I had much less to wait); ci vorranno non meno di tre ore per arrivare, it will take no less than three hours to get there; finirò il lavoro in meno di un mese, I shall finish the job in less than a month; arriverà tra non meno di due settimane, he won't be here for a fortnight // a meno, per meno, (a minor prezzo) for less (o cheaper): vendere, acquistare per meno, to sell, to purchase for less // in men che non si dica, in less than no time

2 (con valore di superl.) the least; as little as: questo è il meno che tu possa fare, that's the least you can do; era il meno che gli potesse capitare, it was the least that could happen to him; vorrei spendere il meno possibile, I'd like to spend as little as possible // parlare del più e del meno, to talk of this and that // quando meno ci si pensa..., when you least expect...

3 (mat.) minus: il segno del meno, the minus sign

4 pl.: i meno, (la minoranza) the minority; i deputati che votarono a favore della proposta di legge erano i meno, the MP s who voted in favour of the bill were in the minority.

* * *
['meno]
1. avv

1) less

meno caro — less expensive, cheaper

è meno alto di suo fratello/di quel che pensavo — he is not as tall as his brother/as I thought, he is less tall than his brother/than I thought

ha due anni meno di me — he's two years younger than me

dovresti mangiare meno — you should eat less, you shouldn't eat so much

meno ne discutiamo, meglio è — the less we talk about it, the better

deve avere non meno di trent'anni — he must be at least thirty

meno fumo più mangio — the less I smoke the more I eat

andare all'università diventa sempre meno facile — it's getting less and less easy to go to university

ho speso (di) meno — I spent less

arrivo tra meno di un'ora — I'll be there in less than o in under an hour

2) (con senso superlativo) least

è il meno dotato dei miei studenti — he's the least gifted of my pupils

è quello che leggo meno spesso — it's the one I read least often

3) (sottrazione) Mat minus, less

5 meno 2 — 5 minus 2, 5 take away 2

sono le otto meno un quarto — it's a quarter to eight Brit o of eight Am

mi hai dato due carte di meno — you gave me two cards too few

eh, se avessi dieci anni di meno! — oh, if only I were ten years younger!

ho una sterlina in meno — I am one pound short

ci sono meno 25° — it's minus 25°, it is 25° below (zero)

ha preso sette meno — he got (a) B minus

4)

(fraseologia) non è da meno di lui — she is (every bit) as good as he is

non voglio essere da meno di lui — I don't want to be outdone by him

fare a meno di — to do o manage without

se non c'è zucchero ne faremo a meno — if there isn't any sugar we'll do without

potresti fare a meno di fumare in macchina? — would you mind not smoking in the car?

non ho potuto fare a meno di ridere — I couldn't help laughing

in men che non si dica — in less than no time, quick as a flash

meno male! — good!, thank goodness!, just as well!

meno male che sei arrivato — it's a good job that you have come

men che meno gli inglesi — least of all the English

fammi sapere se verrai o meno — let me know if you are coming or not

quanto meno poteva avvertire — he could at least have let us know

non mi piace come scrive e tanto meno come parla — I don't like the way he writes let alone the way he talks

2. agg inv

(acqua, lavoro, soldi) less, (persone, libri, errori) fewer

meno bambini ci sono, meglio è — the fewer children there are the better

meno storie! — stop messing around!

meno tempo — less time

meno turisti — fewer tourists

3. sm inv

1)

(la minor cosa) il meno — the least

era il meno che ti potesse capitare — (rimprovero) you were asking for it

parlare del più e del meno — to talk about this and that

per lo meno — perlomeno

i meno — (la minoranza) the minority

2) Mat minus (sign)

4. prep

(fuorché, eccetto che) except (for)

a meno che non faccia caldo — unless it is hot

a meno di prendere un giorno di ferie — unless I (o you ecc) take a day off

ci siamo tutti meno lui — we are all here except (for) him

tutti meno uno — all but one

* * *
['meno] 1.
avverbio

1) (in un comparativo di minoranza) less

un po' meno — a little less

è meno alto di Tim — he is not as tall as Tim

è meno complicato di quanto pensi — it's less complicated than you think

2) (con un avverbio) less

meno spesso — less often

meno del solito — less than usual

canta meno bene di prima — she doesn't sing as well as she used to

3) (con un verbo) less

l'argento costa meno dell'oro — silver costs less than gold

costa meno prendere il treno — it works out cheaper to take the train

dovresti lavorare (di) meno — you should work less

guadagno meno di lei — I earn less than she does, I don't earn as much as she does

meno se ne parla, meglio è — the less said about that, the better

meno esco, meno ho voglia di uscire — the less I go out, the less I feel like going out

è lui quello che lavora meno di tutti — he's the one who works the least of all

4) (con un numerale) less

meno di 50 — less than 50

meno di due ore — under o less than two hours

un po' meno di 15 cm — just under 15 cm

i bambini con meno di sei anni — children under six

non troverai niente a meno di 200 euro — you won't find anything for less than o for under 200 euros

5) (in un superlativo relativo)

(il) meno, (la) meno, (i) meno, (le) meno — the least

le famiglie meno ricche — the least wealthy families

era la meno soddisfatta di tutti — she was the least satisfied of all

è quello pagato meno bene fra i due — he's the least well-paid of the two

quello mi piace meno di tutti — I like that one (the) least

sono quelli che ne hanno meno bisogno — they are the ones who need it (the) least

proprio quando meno me l'aspettavo — just when I least expected it

6) (in correlazione con "più")

né più, né meno — neither more, nor less

centimetro più, centimetro meno — give or take an inch (or two)

né più né meno che — nothing less than

7) (con valore di negazione) not

che lo voglia o meno — whether he's willing or not

non ha deciso se firmare o meno — he hasn't decided whether to sign (or not)

8) da meno

è un gran bugiardo e suo fratello non è da meno — he's a liar and his brother isn't any better

ho fatto una torta anche io per non essere da meno — I made a cake as well, just to keep up

9) di meno, in meno

se avessi 20 anni di meno! — I wish I were 20 years younger!

ho preso 30 euro in meno di stipendio — my wages are 30 euros short

10) a meno di short of

11) a meno che unless

12) sempre meno less and less

13) meno male thank goodness

meno male che — it's a good thing that

meno male che è impermeabile! — it's just as well it's waterproof!

meno male che ci sono andato! — it was lucky for me that I went!

14) quanto meno, per lo meno at least

15) tanto meno

non l'ho mai visto, tanto meno gli ho parlato — I've never seen him, much less spoken to him

era troppo malata per stare in piedi, tanto meno per camminare — she was too ill to stand let alone walk

16) più o meno more or less, about, roughly, round about

più o meno alto come te — about your height

è successo più o meno qui — it happened round about here

"ti è piaciuto il film?" - "più o meno" — "did you enjoy the film?" - "sort of"

più o meno nello stesso modo — in much the same way

la canzone fa più o meno così — the song goes something like this
2.
aggettivo invariabile

1) (in un comparativo di minoranza) less, fewer

ho meno libri di te — I have fewer books than you

ho meno caldo adesso — I feel cooler now

ci è voluto meno tempo di quanto pensassimo — it took less time than we expected

2) (con valore pronominale) less, fewer

non meno di — no fewer than

ne ho meno di te — I have less than you

ha venduto meno di tutti — he sold the fewest
3.
preposizione

1) (in una sottrazione) from, minus

quanto fa 20 meno 8? — what is 20 minus 8?

20 meno 5 fa 15 — 5 from 20 leaves 15, 20 minus 5 is 15, 20 take away 5 is 15

2) (tranne, eccetto) but, besides, except

3) (per indicare l'ora)

le sei meno dieci — ten to six

4) (per indicare una temperatura)

meno 10 — minus 10
4.
sostantivo maschile invariabile

1) (la cosa, quantità minore) least

questo è il meno — that's the least of it

fare il meno possibile — to do as little as possible

2) mat. minus (sign)

••

parlare del più e del meno — to talk about this and that, to shoot the breeze AE

in men che non si dica — before you could say knife, in the bat o wink of an eye, in (less than) no time

fare a meno di — to manage o do without, to dispense with [auto, servizi]

non posso farne a meno — I can't help it
••
Note:

Meno è usato principalmente come avverbio e come aggettivo, anche con valore pronominale. - Come avverbio, si rende con less quando introduce un comparativo di minoranza e con (the) least quando introduce un superlativo di minoranza: less è seguito da than, the least è seguito da of oppure in (se ci si riferisce a un luogo o un gruppo). Gli esempi nella voce mostrano anche che il comparativo di minoranza è spesso sostituito in inglese dalla variante negativa di un comparativo di uguaglianza: ho meno esperienza di te = I have less experience than you, oppure: I don't have as much experience as you; la mia stanza è meno grande della tua = my bedroom isn't as big as yours. - Come aggettivo, in inglese standard meno si traduce con less davanti e al posto di sostantivi non numerabili ( meno denaro = less money; ne ho meno di ieri = I have less than yesterday), mentre davanti e al posto di sostantivi plurali si usa fewer con valore comparativo ( meno studenti = fewer students; non meno di = no fewer than) e (the) fewest con valore superlativo ( ho fatto meno errori di tutti = I made the fewest mistakes; ne ha dati meno di tutti = he gave the fewest); tuttavia, nel linguaggio parlato less tende a sostituire fewer anche con riferimento plurale: meno persone = less people. - Per altri esempi e per l'uso di meno come preposizione e sostantivo, si veda la voce qui sotto

* * *

meno

/'meno/

Meno è usato principalmente come avverbio e come aggettivo, anche con valore pronominale. - Come avverbio, si rende con less quando introduce un comparativo di minoranza e con (the) least quando introduce un superlativo di minoranza: less è seguito da than, the least è seguito da of oppure in (se ci si riferisce a un luogo o un gruppo). Gli esempi nella voce mostrano anche che il comparativo di minoranza è spesso sostituito in inglese dalla variante negativa di un comparativo di uguaglianza: ho meno esperienza di te = I have less experience than you, oppure: I don't have as much experience as you; la mia stanza è meno grande della tua = my bedroom isn't as big as yours. - Come aggettivo, in inglese standard meno si traduce con less davanti e al posto di sostantivi non numerabili ( meno denaro = less money; ne ho meno di ieri = I have less than yesterday), mentre davanti e al posto di sostantivi plurali si usa fewer con valore comparativo ( meno studenti = fewer students; non meno di = no fewer than) e (the) fewest con valore superlativo ( ho fatto meno errori di tutti = I made the fewest mistakes; ne ha dati meno di tutti = he gave the fewest); tuttavia, nel linguaggio parlato less tende a sostituire fewer anche con riferimento plurale: meno persone = less people. - Per altri esempi e per l'uso di meno come preposizione e sostantivo, si veda la voce qui sotto.

I avverbio

1 (in un comparativo di minoranza) less; un po' meno a little less; è meno alto di Tim he is not as tall as Tim; è meno complicato di quanto pensi it's less complicated than you think

2 (con un avverbio) less; meno spesso less often; meno del solito less than usual; canta meno bene di prima she doesn't sing as well as she used to

3 (con un verbo) less; l'argento costa meno dell'oro silver costs less than gold; costa meno prendere il treno it works out cheaper to take the train; dovresti lavorare (di) meno you should work less; guadagno meno di lei I earn less than she does, I don't earn as much as she does; meno se ne parla, meglio è the less said about that, the better; meno esco, meno ho voglia di uscire the less I go out, the less I feel like going out; è lui quello che lavora meno di tutti he's the one who works the least of all

4 (con un numerale) less; meno di 50 less than 50; meno di due ore under o less than two hours; un po' meno di 15 cm just under 15 cm; i bambini con meno di sei anni children under six; non troverai niente a meno di 200 euro you won't find anything for less than o for under 200 euros

5 (in un superlativo relativo) (il) meno, (la) meno, (i) meno, (le) meno the least; le famiglie meno ricche the least wealthy families; era la meno soddisfatta di tutti she was the least satisfied of all; è quello pagato meno bene fra i due he's the least well-paid of the two; quello mi piace meno di tutti I like that one (the) least; sono quelli che ne hanno meno bisogno they are the ones who need it (the) least; proprio quando meno me l'aspettavo just when I least expected it

6 (in correlazione con "più") né più, né meno neither more, nor less; centimetro più, centimetro meno give or take an inch (or two); né più né meno che nothing less than

7 (con valore di negazione) not; che lo voglia o meno whether he's willing or not; non ha deciso se firmare o meno he hasn't decided whether to sign (or not)

8 da meno è un gran bugiardo e suo fratello non è da meno he's a liar and his brother isn't any better; ho fatto una torta anche io per non essere da meno I made a cake as well, just to keep up

9 di meno, in meno se avessi 20 anni di meno! I wish I were 20 years younger! ho preso 30 euro in meno di stipendio my wages are 30 euros short

10 a meno di short of

11 a meno che unless

12 sempre meno less and less

13 meno male thank goodness; meno male che it's a good thing that; meno male che è impermeabile! it's just as well it's waterproof! meno male che ci sono andato! it was lucky for me that I went!

14 quanto meno, per lo meno at least

15 tanto meno non l'ho mai visto, tanto meno gli ho parlato I've never seen him, much less spoken to him; era troppo malata per stare in piedi, tanto meno per camminare she was too ill to stand let alone walk

16 più o meno more or less, about, roughly, round about; più o meno alto come te about your height; è successo più o meno qui it happened round about here; "ti è piaciuto il film?" - "più o meno" "did you enjoy the film?" - "sort of"; più o meno nello stesso modo in much the same way; la canzone fa più o meno così the song goes something like this

II aggettivo invariabile

1 (in un comparativo di minoranza) less, fewer; ho meno libri di te I have fewer books than you; ho meno caldo adesso I feel cooler now; ci è voluto meno tempo di quanto pensassimo it took less time than we expected

2 (con valore pronominale) less, fewer; non meno di no fewer than; ne ho meno di te I have less than you; ha venduto meno di tutti he sold the fewest

III preposizione

1 (in una sottrazione) from, minus; quanto fa 20 meno 8? what is 20 minus 8? 20 meno 5 fa 15 5 from 20 leaves 15, 20 minus 5 is 15, 20 take away 5 is 15

2 (tranne, eccetto) but, besides, except

3 (per indicare l'ora) le sei meno dieci ten to six

4 (per indicare una temperatura) meno 10 minus 10

IV m.inv.

1 (la cosa, quantità minore) least; questo è il meno that's the least of it; fare il meno possibile to do as little as possible

2 mat. minus (sign)

IDIOMS

parlare del più e del meno to talk about this and that, to shoot the breeze AE; in men che non si dica before you could say knife, in the bat o wink of an eye, in (less than) no time; fare a meno di to manage o do without, to dispense with [auto, servizi]; non posso farne a meno I can't help it.

Dizionario Italiano-Inglese > meno

19 nada

adv.

1 at all.

la película no me ha gustado nada I didn't like the film at all

no es nada extraño it's not at all strange

la obra no es nada aburrida the play isn't the slightest bit boring

2 a little, a bit (poco).

no hace nada que salió he left just a minute ago

3 not at all, not a single thing, nothing, not a bit.

4 anything.

intj.

nothing at all.

pron.

1 nothing.

no pasó nada nothing happened

no he leído nada de Lorca I haven't read anything by Lorca

nada me gustaría más que poder ayudarte there's nothing I'd like more than to be able to help you

no hay nada como un buen libro there's nothing (quite) like a good book

nada más nothing else, nothing more

no quiero nada más I don't want anything else

no dijo nada de nada he didn't say anything at all

no es nada it's nothing serious

esto no es nada that's nothing

te he traído un regalito de nada I've brought you a little something

cuesta cinco millones, ¡ahí es nada! it costs five million, a real snip!

casi nada almost nothing

como si nada as if nothing was the matter, as if nothing had happened

de nada don't mention it, you're welcome (respuesta a 'gracias')

dentro de nada any second now

¡nada de eso! absolutely not!

No quiero nada I don't want any.

2 love (en tenis). (peninsular Spanish)

f.

1 nothing, bugger all.

2 little bit, trace, tiny bit, tiny little bit.

pres.indicat.

3^rd person singular (él/ella/ello) present indicative of spanish verb: nadar.

* * *

nada

► pronombre

1 nothing

■ no quiero nada I don't want anything

■ (no hay) nada como... there's nothing like...

■ no hace nada que lo vi por aquí I saw him round here just a minute ago

■ ¿te has hecho daño? --no, no ha sido nada did you hurt yourself? --no, I'm all right thank you

► adverbio

1 (not) at all

■ no me gusta nada I don't like it at all

■ no la veo nada cambiada she hasn't changed at all

► nombre femenino

1 nothingness

\

FRASEOLOGÍA

antes de nada first of all

como si nada just like that

de nada (no hay de qué) don't mention it, think nothing of it, (US you're welcome) 2 (insignificante) insignificant

■ gracias, --de nada thanks, --don't mention it

■ es una tontería de nada it's nothing much

dentro de nada in a moment

nada de eso not at all, nothing of the kind

■ ¿se casa Maribel? --¡nada de eso! is Maribel getting married? --absolutely not!, no way!

■ no quiero llantos ni nada de eso I don't want any crying or anything of that sort

nada más... as soon as..., no sooner...

■ nada más verlo quiso comprarlo as soon as he saw it he wanted to buy it

■ nada más llegar se puso a llover no sooner had we arrived than it started to rain

nada menos que no less than

■ está aquí nada menos que el presidente the president himself is here no less

por nada for no reason at all

por nada del mundo (not) for anything in the world

¡y nada de...! and don't...!

■ ¡y nada de bañarse en el río! and don't go bathing in the river!

* * *
1. noun f.
1) nothingness

2) naught
2. adv.
not at all

- casi nada
- de nada 3. pron.
nothing, anything

* * *

1. PRON

1) (=ninguna cosa) [con el verbo inglés en forma afirmativa] nothing; [con el verbo inglés en forma negativa] anything

no dijo nada en toda la tarde — he said nothing all afternoon, he didn't say anything all afternoon

no encontrarás nada que te guste — you won't find anything you like

no hay nada como un café después de comer — there's nothing like a coffee after your meal, nothing beats a coffee after your meal

-¿qué has comprado? -nada — "what have you bought?" - "nothing"

no entiende nada — he doesn't understand a thing o anything

• nada de, no sabe nada de español — he knows no Spanish at all, he doesn't know any Spanish at all

no tiene nada de particular — there's nothing special about it

-¿qué te cuentas? -nada de particular — "what's new?" - "nothing much" o "not a lot"

no creo que nada de eso te convenga — I don't think that's what you want at all

¡nada de eso! — not a bit of it!

¡nada de marcharse! — forget about leaving!

nada de nada — absolutely nothing, nothing at all

- ¡de eso nada, monada!

- esto y nada, es lo mismo
ahí
2) [en locuciones]

a) [con verbo]

• estuvo en nada que lo perdiesen — they very nearly lost it

• no me falta de nada — I've got everything I need

a la cocina no le falta de nada — the kitchen has everything

• hace nada — just a moment ago

• no se parecen en nada — they're not at all alike

• quedar(se) en nada — to come to nothing

• no reparar en nada — to stop at nothing

• no servir para nada — to be utterly useless

no sirves para nada — you're utterly useless

no sirve de nada que os quejéis — there's no point in you complaining

• no ha sido nada — it's nothing, it doesn't matter

b) [con preposición, adverbio]

• antes de nada, antes de nada tengo que telefonear — before I do anything else I must make a phone call

se fue antes de nada — she left almost at once

• a cada nada — LAm * constantly

• casi nada, no costó casi nada — it cost next to nothing

¡había unas cien mil personas! ¡casi nada! — there were no fewer than a hundred thousand people there!

• como si nada, se lo advertí, pero como si nada — I warned him but it was as if I hadn't spoken

le dijo que estaba despedido y se quedó como si nada — she told him he was fired and he didn't even bat an eyelid

• de nada, -¡gracias! -de nada — "thanks!" - "don't mention it" o "you're welcome"

fue una mentira de nada — it was only a little lie

¡tanto revuelo por un premio de nada! — all that fuss over such a silly little prize!

• dentro de nada — very soon

• nada más, -¿desea algo más? -nada más, gracias — "can I get you anything else?" - "no, that's all thank you"

no dijo nada más — he didn't say anything else, he said nothing else

son las siete nada más — it's only seven o'clock

quiero uno nada más — I only want one

encendió la tele nada más llegar — he turned on the TV as soon as he got in

ocurrió nada más iniciado el partido — it happened just after the beginning of the game

estas flores aparecen nada más terminado el invierno — these flowers come out just after the winter o as soon as the winter is over

nada más que estoy muy cansado — And, Méx it's just that I'm very tired

• (nada más y) nada menos que... — (no more and) no less than...

han ganado nada menos que un coche — they've won a car, no less

entró nada menos que el rey — who should come in but the king!

• ni nada — or anything

es raro que no haya llamado ni nada — it's odd that she hasn't called or anything

no quiere comer ni nada — he won't even eat

pues no es feo ni nada — iró he's not ugly... much!

• para nada — at all

no los mencionó para nada — he never mentioned them at all

-¿te gusta? -para nada — "do you like it?" - "not at all"

• por nada, por nada se echa a llorar — she's always crying over nothing o for no reason at all

no me subiría a un avión por nada del mundo — I wouldn't get on a plane for anything in the world

no por nada le llaman "apestoso" — he's not called "smelly" for nothing

no por nada decidimos comprar — we had good reason to buy

por nada y menos puedes hacerte un vestido — you can make your own dress for next to nothing

¡por nada! — Cono Sur not at all!, don't mention it!

por menos de nada — for two pins

3) [como coletilla]

pues nada, me voy — well, I'm off then

-¿qué pasó? -pues nada, que estuve esperando y no llegó — "what happened?" - "well, I was there waiting and he didn't arrive"

y nada, al final nos fuimos — anyway, in the end we left

4) (Tenis) love

treinta-nada — thirty-love

2.

ADV not at all, by no means

no es nada fácil — it's not at all easy, it's by no means easy

esto no me gusta nada — I don't like this at all

no está nada triste — he isn't sad at all

pues no eres tú nada ambicioso — iró well you're not very ambitious, are you?... much!

3.

SF

la nada — the void

el avión pareció salir de la nada — the aircraft seemed to come from nowhere

* * *
I
pronombre

1)

a) nothing

es mejor que nada — it's better than nothing

de nada sirve que le compres libros — there's no point in buying him books

antes que or de nada — first of all

no hay nada como... — there's nothing like...

no quiere nada — he doesn't want anything

no sirves para nada! — you're useless

no se hizo nada — he wasn't hurt

perdón! - no fue nada — sorry! - that's all right

no es por nada pero... — don't take this the wrong way but...

sin decir nada — without a word

nadie me dio nada — nobody gave me anything

sin nada de azúcar — without any sugar at all

no tiene nada de gracia — it's not at all funny

b) (en locs)

de nada — you're welcome

nada de nada — (fam) not a thing

nada más: no hay nada más there's nothing else; ¿algo más? - nada más anything else? - no, that's it o that's all; nada más fui yo (Méx) I was the only one who went; salí nada más comer I went out right o straight after lunch; sacó (nada más ni) nada menos que el primer puesto she came first no less; nada más que: no se lo dije nada más que a él he's the only one I told; para nada: no me gustó para nada I didn't like it at all; como si nada (fam): me lo dijo como si nada! she told me as if it was nothing; se quedó como si nada she didn't even bat an eyelid; no hay nada que hacerle — (fam) that's all there is to it

2)

a) ( ninguna cosa)

antes de que digas nada — before you say anything

b) ( muy poco)

con or de nada se rompe — it breaks just like that

en nada de tiempo — in no time at all

la compraron por nada — they bought it for next to nothing

llora por nada — she cries at the slightest little thing

dentro de nada — very soon

estar en nada: estuvo en nada que perdiéramos el tren — we very nearly missed the train

c) (fam) ( uso expletivo)

y nada, que al final no lo compró — anyway, in the end she didn't buy it

pues nada, ya veremos qué pasa — well o anyway, we'll see what happens

3) (Esp) ( en tenis) love

quince-nada — fifteen-love
II
adverbio

no está nada preocupado — he isn't at all o the least bit worried

esto no me gusta nada — I don't like this at all o (colloq) one bit
III
femenino

1) (Fil)

la nada — nothing

se creó de la nada — it was created from nothing o from the void

surgió de la nada — it came out of nowhere

2) (Méx, RPl fam) ( pequeña cantidad)

una nada de sal — a tiny pinch of salt

una nada de agua — a tiny drop of water

* * *

= anything, nothing, nil, zero + Nombre, naught, nothingness, nowt, zilch.

Ex. As an inveterate user of the British Museum Library he was able to confirm that 'a library is not worth anything without a catalogue'.

Ex. Nothing happens until the ENTER key is pressed.

Ex. While our vision of our readers is hazy and our interests in them nil, then criticism must be either trivial or irrelevant.

Ex. In recent years special libraries have been faced with a number of important factors, including reduced purchase budgets, zero increases in staffing, and the opportunities offered by automation.

Ex. Was everything she learned for naught? She felt extinguished.

Ex. The emptiness and nothingness associated with writer's block is often described as a kind of death, a place where there is nothing to decide, nothing about which to express an opinion.

Ex. There's a real danger of flying off on a tangent while writing about this as it for once is purely about politics and there's ' nowt' as controversial as that.

Ex. Before you lend cash to Tom, Dick and Harry, be sure you know what you're doing or else your friendship will be worth zilch.

----

* a cambio de nada = for nothing.

* a nadie le importa nada = nobody + gives a damn.

* antes de nada = before long, before + Pronombre + know what + happen, before + Pronombre + know it.

* antes que nada = first of all, before anything else, first off, above all things.

* a propósito de nada = for no specific reason, for no particular reason.

* caer en la nada = fall into + the void, fall into + (empty) space.

* casi nada = next to nothing.

* como si nada = be right as rain, unfazed.

* contar para nada = count + for nothing.

* decir la verdad, toda la verdad y nada más que la verdad = to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

* de la nada = from nowhere, out of nowhere.

* del año de la nada = from the year dot.

* en apenas nada = in no time at all, in next to no time, in no time.

* en casi nada = in no time at all, in next to no time.

* en nada de tiempo = at a moment's notice, in next to no time, in no time at all, in no time.

* esperar sin nada que hacer = kick + Posesivo + heels.

* estar con amigos en la calle pasando el rato sin hacer nada = hang out + on the street.

* estar sin hacer nada = sit + idle, stand + idle.

* hablar sin decir nada = waffle.

* hacer como si nada = play it + cool.

* más que nada = more than anything else.

* nada bonito = unlovely.

* nada claro = unclear, uncleared.

* nada convencido = unimpressed.

* nada convencional = unorthodox.

* ¡nada de eso! = no dice!.

* nada de importancia = nothing in particular.

* nada de nada = zilch.

* nada desdeñable = not inconsiderable.

* nada despreciable = not inconsiderable.

* nada en absoluto = not at all, nothing whatsoever.

* nada en la vida es gratuito = you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.

* nada envidiable = unenviable.

* nada es gratis = nothing comes without a cost.

* nada es gratis en la viña del Señor = there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as a free ride.

* nada es mejor que = nothing beats....

* nada + estar + más apartado de la realidad = nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada + estar + más apartado de la verdad = nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada + estar + más lejos de la verdad = nothing + can + be further from the truth, nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada extraordinario = unremarkable.

* nada impresionado = unimpressed.

* nada instintivo = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada intuitivo = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada lógico = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada más = anything else, nothing else.

* nada más y nada menos = as much as + Expresión Numérica.

* nada más y nada menos que = in the order of + Cantidad, nothing less than.

* nada más y nada menos que de/por + Cantidad = to the tune of + Cantidad.

* nada más y nada menos que desde + Expresión Temporal = from as far back as + Expresión Temporal.

* nada más y nada menos que + Número = as many as + Número.

* nada materialista = unworldly.

* nada menos que + Nombre + tan + Adjetivo + como = no less + Adjetivo + Nombre + than.

* nada puede estar más alejado de la realidad = nothing can be further from the truth.

* nada puede estar más apartado de la realidad = nothing can be further from the truth.

* nada sabe mejor que sentirse delgado = nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

* nada se acaba hasta que no se acaba = nothing is done until it's done.

* nada sorprendente = unsurprising.

* nada supera a = nothing beats....

* no andar en nada bueno = be up to no good, get up to + no good.

* no conducir a nada = be exercises in + futility.

* no conocer a Alguien de nada = not know + Pronombre + from Adam.

* no conocer a Alguien para nada = not know + Pronombre + from Adam.

* no conseguir nada = achieve + nothing.

* no deber nada = pay + Posesivo + dues.

* no decir nada = keep + quiet.

* no decir nada a nadie = lips + seal.

* no encontrar nada + Adjetivo = find far from + Adjetivo.

* no estar nada + Adjetivo = be anything but + Adjetivo.

* no + haber + nada como = there + be + nothing like.

* no haber nada de verdad en = there + be + any/no truth to.

* no + haber + nada malo en = there + be + nothing wrong in/with.

* no hacer nada = vegetate, veg out.

* no hacer nada al respecto = leave + unchecked.

* no hacer nada de particular = do + nothing in particular.

* no hay nada como = nothing beats....

* no hay nada imposible = all bets are off.

* no hay nada mejor que = nothing beats....

* no hay nada oculto = what you see is what you get.

* no importar nada = not give a shit, not give a fuck.

* no parecerse en nada a = be nothing like.

* no perderse nada = be no great loss.

* no querer saber más nada de = drop + Nombre + like a hot potato, drop + Nombre + like a hot brick.

* no querer saber nada de = want + nothing to do with.

* no querer tener nada que ver con = want + nothing to do with.

* no revelar nada a nadie = lips + seal.

* no ser nada = add up to + nothing.

* no ser nada fácil = be hard-pushed to.

* no servir de nada = be of no avail, be to no avail.

* no servir de nada que + Subjuntivo = no use + Ving.

* no servir para nada = be good for nothing, pissing into the wind, be of no avail, be to no avail, all + be for + naught.

* no significar nada = add up to + nothing.

* no suponer nada = add up to + nothing.

* no tener nada en contra de Algo = have + nothing against, have + no quarrel about + Nombre.

* no tener nada que perder = have + nothing to lose.

* no tener nada que ver con = be irrelevant to.

* no tener tiempo de nada = have + not a moment to spare.

* o nada en absoluto = if at all.

* para nada = in vain, to no avail, without any avail, vainly, of no avail.

* para que no falte de nada = for good measure.

* persona que nunca se deshace de anda = hoarder, packrat, magpie.

* por nada = for nothing.

* por nada del mundo = for the life of me.

* por nada o casi nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por no decir nada de = to say nothing of.

* por poco o nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por probar nada se pierde = nothing ventured, nothing gained.

* primero que nada = first off.

* que no conduce a nada = circuitous.

* quien nada arriesga nada gana = nothing ventured, nothing gained.

* reducir a la nada = reduce to + nil.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sentarse sin hacer nada = sit + idle.

* ser nada más y nada menos que = be nothing less than.

* servir de poco o nada = be of little or no avail.

* servir para nada = count + for nothing.

* sin decir nada = dumbly.

* sin dejar nada fuera = the works!.

* sin nada de gracia = unfunny.

* sin nada que destacar = uneventful.

* sin poder hacer nada = helplessly.

* trabajar a cambio de nada = work for + nothing.

* una cosa no + tener + nada que ver con la otra = one thing + have + nothing to do with the other.

* y antes de nada = the next thing + Pronombre + know.

* * *
I
pronombre

1)

a) nothing

es mejor que nada — it's better than nothing

de nada sirve que le compres libros — there's no point in buying him books

antes que or de nada — first of all

no hay nada como... — there's nothing like...

no quiere nada — he doesn't want anything

no sirves para nada! — you're useless

no se hizo nada — he wasn't hurt

perdón! - no fue nada — sorry! - that's all right

no es por nada pero... — don't take this the wrong way but...

sin decir nada — without a word

nadie me dio nada — nobody gave me anything

sin nada de azúcar — without any sugar at all

no tiene nada de gracia — it's not at all funny

b) (en locs)

de nada — you're welcome

nada de nada — (fam) not a thing

nada más: no hay nada más there's nothing else; ¿algo más? - nada más anything else? - no, that's it o that's all; nada más fui yo (Méx) I was the only one who went; salí nada más comer I went out right o straight after lunch; sacó (nada más ni) nada menos que el primer puesto she came first no less; nada más que: no se lo dije nada más que a él he's the only one I told; para nada: no me gustó para nada I didn't like it at all; como si nada (fam): me lo dijo como si nada! she told me as if it was nothing; se quedó como si nada she didn't even bat an eyelid; no hay nada que hacerle — (fam) that's all there is to it

2)

a) ( ninguna cosa)

antes de que digas nada — before you say anything

b) ( muy poco)

con or de nada se rompe — it breaks just like that

en nada de tiempo — in no time at all

la compraron por nada — they bought it for next to nothing

llora por nada — she cries at the slightest little thing

dentro de nada — very soon

estar en nada: estuvo en nada que perdiéramos el tren — we very nearly missed the train

c) (fam) ( uso expletivo)

y nada, que al final no lo compró — anyway, in the end she didn't buy it

pues nada, ya veremos qué pasa — well o anyway, we'll see what happens

3) (Esp) ( en tenis) love

quince-nada — fifteen-love
II
adverbio

no está nada preocupado — he isn't at all o the least bit worried

esto no me gusta nada — I don't like this at all o (colloq) one bit
III
femenino

1) (Fil)

la nada — nothing

se creó de la nada — it was created from nothing o from the void

surgió de la nada — it came out of nowhere

2) (Méx, RPl fam) ( pequeña cantidad)

una nada de sal — a tiny pinch of salt

una nada de agua — a tiny drop of water

* * *

= anything, nothing, nil, zero + Nombre, naught, nothingness, nowt, zilch.

Ex: As an inveterate user of the British Museum Library he was able to confirm that 'a library is not worth anything without a catalogue'.

Ex: Nothing happens until the ENTER key is pressed.

Ex: While our vision of our readers is hazy and our interests in them nil, then criticism must be either trivial or irrelevant.

Ex: In recent years special libraries have been faced with a number of important factors, including reduced purchase budgets, zero increases in staffing, and the opportunities offered by automation.

Ex: Was everything she learned for naught? She felt extinguished.

Ex: The emptiness and nothingness associated with writer's block is often described as a kind of death, a place where there is nothing to decide, nothing about which to express an opinion.

Ex: There's a real danger of flying off on a tangent while writing about this as it for once is purely about politics and there's ' nowt' as controversial as that.

Ex: Before you lend cash to Tom, Dick and Harry, be sure you know what you're doing or else your friendship will be worth zilch.

* a cambio de nada = for nothing.

* a nadie le importa nada = nobody + gives a damn.

* antes de nada = before long, before + Pronombre + know what + happen, before + Pronombre + know it.

* antes que nada = first of all, before anything else, first off, above all things.

* a propósito de nada = for no specific reason, for no particular reason.

* caer en la nada = fall into + the void, fall into + (empty) space.

* casi nada = next to nothing.

* como si nada = be right as rain, unfazed.

* contar para nada = count + for nothing.

* decir la verdad, toda la verdad y nada más que la verdad = to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

* de la nada = from nowhere, out of nowhere.

* del año de la nada = from the year dot.

* en apenas nada = in no time at all, in next to no time, in no time.

* en casi nada = in no time at all, in next to no time.

* en nada de tiempo = at a moment's notice, in next to no time, in no time at all, in no time.

* esperar sin nada que hacer = kick + Posesivo + heels.

* estar con amigos en la calle pasando el rato sin hacer nada = hang out + on the street.

* estar sin hacer nada = sit + idle, stand + idle.

* hablar sin decir nada = waffle.

* hacer como si nada = play it + cool.

* más que nada = more than anything else.

* nada bonito = unlovely.

* nada claro = unclear, uncleared.

* nada convencido = unimpressed.

* nada convencional = unorthodox.

* ¡nada de eso! = no dice!.

* nada de importancia = nothing in particular.

* nada de nada = zilch.

* nada desdeñable = not inconsiderable.

* nada despreciable = not inconsiderable.

* nada en absoluto = not at all, nothing whatsoever.

* nada en la vida es gratuito = you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.

* nada envidiable = unenviable.

* nada es gratis = nothing comes without a cost.

* nada es gratis en la viña del Señor = there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as a free ride.

* nada es mejor que = nothing beats....

* nada + estar + más apartado de la realidad = nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada + estar + más apartado de la verdad = nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada + estar + más lejos de la verdad = nothing + can + be further from the truth, nothing + can + be further from the truth.

* nada extraordinario = unremarkable.

* nada impresionado = unimpressed.

* nada instintivo = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada intuitivo = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada lógico = counter-intuitive [counterintuitive].

* nada más = anything else, nothing else.

* nada más y nada menos = as much as + Expresión Numérica.

* nada más y nada menos que = in the order of + Cantidad, nothing less than.

* nada más y nada menos que de/por + Cantidad = to the tune of + Cantidad.

* nada más y nada menos que desde + Expresión Temporal = from as far back as + Expresión Temporal.

* nada más y nada menos que + Número = as many as + Número.

* nada materialista = unworldly.

* nada menos que + Nombre + tan + Adjetivo + como = no less + Adjetivo + Nombre + than.

* nada puede estar más alejado de la realidad = nothing can be further from the truth.

* nada puede estar más apartado de la realidad = nothing can be further from the truth.

* nada sabe mejor que sentirse delgado = nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

* nada se acaba hasta que no se acaba = nothing is done until it's done.

* nada sorprendente = unsurprising.

* nada supera a = nothing beats....

* no andar en nada bueno = be up to no good, get up to + no good.

* no conducir a nada = be exercises in + futility.

* no conocer a Alguien de nada = not know + Pronombre + from Adam.

* no conocer a Alguien para nada = not know + Pronombre + from Adam.

* no conseguir nada = achieve + nothing.

* no deber nada = pay + Posesivo + dues.

* no decir nada = keep + quiet.

* no decir nada a nadie = lips + seal.

* no encontrar nada + Adjetivo = find far from + Adjetivo.

* no estar nada + Adjetivo = be anything but + Adjetivo.

* no + haber + nada como = there + be + nothing like.

* no haber nada de verdad en = there + be + any/no truth to.

* no + haber + nada malo en = there + be + nothing wrong in/with.

* no hacer nada = vegetate, veg out.

* no hacer nada al respecto = leave + unchecked.

* no hacer nada de particular = do + nothing in particular.

* no hay nada como = nothing beats....

* no hay nada imposible = all bets are off.

* no hay nada mejor que = nothing beats....

* no hay nada oculto = what you see is what you get.

* no importar nada = not give a shit, not give a fuck.

* no parecerse en nada a = be nothing like.

* no perderse nada = be no great loss.

* no querer saber más nada de = drop + Nombre + like a hot potato, drop + Nombre + like a hot brick.

* no querer saber nada de = want + nothing to do with.

* no querer tener nada que ver con = want + nothing to do with.

* no revelar nada a nadie = lips + seal.

* no ser nada = add up to + nothing.

* no ser nada fácil = be hard-pushed to.

* no servir de nada = be of no avail, be to no avail.

* no servir de nada que + Subjuntivo = no use + Ving.

* no servir para nada = be good for nothing, pissing into the wind, be of no avail, be to no avail, all + be for + naught.

* no significar nada = add up to + nothing.

* no suponer nada = add up to + nothing.

* no tener nada en contra de Algo = have + nothing against, have + no quarrel about + Nombre.

* no tener nada que perder = have + nothing to lose.

* no tener nada que ver con = be irrelevant to.

* no tener tiempo de nada = have + not a moment to spare.

* o nada en absoluto = if at all.

* para nada = in vain, to no avail, without any avail, vainly, of no avail.

* para que no falte de nada = for good measure.

* persona que nunca se deshace de anda = hoarder, packrat, magpie.

* por nada = for nothing.

* por nada del mundo = for the life of me.

* por nada o casi nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por no decir nada de = to say nothing of.

* por poco o nada = at little or no extra cost.

* por probar nada se pierde = nothing ventured, nothing gained.

* primero que nada = first off.

* que no conduce a nada = circuitous.

* quien nada arriesga nada gana = nothing ventured, nothing gained.

* reducir a la nada = reduce to + nil.

* saber un poco de todo y mucho de nada = jack of all trades, master of none.

* sentarse sin hacer nada = sit + idle.

* ser nada más y nada menos que = be nothing less than.

* servir de poco o nada = be of little or no avail.

* servir para nada = count + for nothing.

* sin decir nada = dumbly.

* sin dejar nada fuera = the works!.

* sin nada de gracia = unfunny.

* sin nada que destacar = uneventful.

* sin poder hacer nada = helplessly.

* trabajar a cambio de nada = work for + nothing.

* una cosa no + tener + nada que ver con la otra = one thing + have + nothing to do with the other.

* y antes de nada = the next thing + Pronombre + know.

* * *

nada¹

pronoun

A

1 nothing

es mejor que nada it's better than nothing

de nada sirve que le compres libros si no los lee there's no point in buying him books if he doesn't read them

antes que or de nada first of all

nada te faltará or no te faltará nada you won't want for anything

no hay nada como un buen baño caliente there's nothing like a nice hot bath

hace dos días que no come nada he hasn't eaten a thing o anything for two days

¡no sirves para nada! you're useless

no se hizo nada he wasn't hurt

no sé por qué llora, yo no le hice nada I don't know why he's crying, I didn't touch him

¿te has hecho daño? — no, no ha sido nada did you hurt yourself? — no, it's nothing

¡perdón! — no fue nada sorry! — that's all right

no es por nada pero … don't take this the wrong way but …

se fue sin decir nada she left without a word

nadie me dio nada nobody gave me anything

nada DE algo:

no necesita nada de azúcar it doesn't need any sugar at all

eso no tiene nada de gracia that's not in the least bit o not at all funny

¡nada de juegos or jugar ahora! you're not playing o I don't want any games now!

2 ( en locs):

de nada you're welcome, it's a pleasure, don't mention it ( frml)

nada de nada ( fam); not a thing

nada más: no hay nada más there's nothing else

¿algo más? — nada más anything else? — no, that's it o that's all o that's the lot

no se pudo hacer nada más or más nada por él nothing more could be done for him

nada más fui yo ( Méx); I was the only one who went

no nada más yo lo critico ( Méx); I'm not the only one to criticize him

salí nada más comer I went out right o straight after lunch

sacó (nada más ni) nada menos que el primer puesto she came first no less

nada más llegar subió a verla as soon as he arrived he went up to see her

nada más que: la verdad, toda la verdad y nada más que la verdad the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

no se lo dije nada más que a él he's the only one I told, I didn't tell anyone except him o but him

nada que … ( Andes fam): ya son las diez y nada que vienen it's already ten o'clock and there's still no sign of them

ni nada ( fam): no me avisó ni nada ( fam); he didn't tell me or anything, he didn't even tell me

no es ambicioso ni nada ( iró); he's not at all ambitious or anything like that! ( iro)

para nada not … at all

ese tema no se tocó para nada that topic didn't come up at all

no me gustó para nada I didn't like it at all o one little bit

ahí es nada ( fam iró): hicieron un par de millones, ahí es nada they made a couple of million … peanuts o chickenfeed! ( colloq iro)

como si nada ( fam): ¡me lo dice como si nada! she tells me as casual as you like, and she tells me as if it was nothing

se quedó como si nada she didn't even bat an eyelid

se lo dije mil veces, pero como si nada I told her over and over again, but it didn't do the slightest bit of good

no estás/está en nada ( Ven arg); you're/he's so uncool ( colloq), you don't/he doesn't have a clue ( colloq)

no hay nada que hacerle ( fam); that's all there is to it, there are no two ways about it

B

1

(algo): ¿has visto alguna vez nada igual? have you ever seen the like of it o the likes of it o anything like it?

antes de que digas nada before you say anything

2

(muy poco): con or de nada se rompe it breaks just like that

fue un golpe de nada it was only a little bump

en nada de tiempo in no time at all

compraron la casa por nada they bought the house for next to nothing

dentro de nada very soon, in no time at all

estar en nada: estuvo en nada que perdiéramos el tren we very nearly missed the train

no nos vieron, pero estuvo en nada they didn't see us, but it was a close call o shave

3 ( fam)

(uso expletivo): y nada, que al final no lo compró anyway, in the end she didn't buy it

pues nada, ya veremos qué pasa well o anyway, we'll see what happens

C ( Esp) (en tenis) love

quince-nada fifteen-love

nada²

adverb

[ Grammar notes (Spanish) ]

no está nada preocupado he isn't at all o the least bit worried

anoche no dormí nada I didn't sleep a wink o at all last night

no me gusta nada lo que has hecho I don't like what you've done one bit

no es nada engreído el chico ( iró); he sure is vain!, he isn't half conceited! ( BrE)

nada³

feminine

A ( Fil):

la nada nothing

el universo se creó de la nada the universe was created from nothing o from the void

surgió de la nada it came out of nowhere

B

(Méx, RPl fam) (pequeña cantidad): ¿le diste vino al bebé? — sólo una nada did you give the baby wine? — only a tiny drop

le puse una nada de sal I added a tiny pinch of salt

ganó por una nada he won by a whisker

* * *

Del verbo nadar: ( conjugate nadar)

nada es:

3ª persona singular (él/ella/usted) presente indicativo

2ª persona singular (tú) imperativo

Multiple Entries:
nada
nadar
nada pronombre
1
a) nothing;

◊ es mejor que nada it's better than nothing;

de nada sirve que le compres libros there's no point in buying him books;
antes que or de nada first of all;
no quiere nada he doesn't want anything;
¡no sirves para nada! you're useless;
sin decir nada without a word
b) ( en locs)

◊ de nada you're welcome;

nada de nada (fam) not a thing;
nada más: no hay nada más there's nothing else;
¿algo más? — nada más anything else? — no, that's it o that's all;
nada más fui yo (Méx) I was the only one who went;
salí nada más comer I went out right o straight after lunch;
sacó (nada más ni) nada menos que el primer puesto she came first no less;
para nada: no me gustó para nada I didn't like it at all;
por nada: la compraron por nada they bought it for next to nothing;
discuten por nada they argue over nothing;
llora por nada she cries at the slightest little thing
2 (Esp) ( en tenis) love;
◊ quince-nada fifteen-love

■ adverbio:
◊ no está nada preocupado he isn't at all o the least bit worried;

esto no me gusta nada I don't like this at all o (colloq) one bit
nadar ( conjugate nadar) verbo intransitivo
a) [persona/pez] to swim;

◊ ¿sabes nada? can you swim?;

nada (estilo) mariposa/pecho to do (the) butterfly/breaststroke;
nada de espalda or (Méx) de dorso to do (the) back stroke
b) [ramas/hojas] ( flotar) to float

c)

◊ nadar en ( tener mucho): nada en dinero to be rolling in money (colloq);

el pollo nadaba en grasa the chicken was swimming in grease
verbo transitivo
to swim
nada
I pron
1 (ninguna cosa) nothing: ¿qué te cuentas?, - nada nuevo, how it's going?, - nothing new
(con otro negativo) nothing, not... anything: no hay nada más importante, there is nothing more important
no tocamos nada, we didn't touch anything
no lo cambiaría por nada del mundo, I wouldn't change it for anything on earth
2 (en preguntas) anything: ¿no tienes nada que decir?, don't you have anything to say?
3 (muy poco) con la niebla no veíamos nada, we couldn't see a thing in the fog
no fue nada, (herida, golpe) I wasn't hurt
(respuesta a una disculpa) it's all right
4 (en ciertas construcciones) anything
más que nada, more than anything: me importa más que nada, it means more than anything else to me
sin decir nada, without saying anything/a word
II adverbio not at all: no nos aburrimos nada, we weren't bored at all
no escribe nada mal, he doesn't write at all badly
III sustantivo femenino nothingness
♦ Locuciones: casi nada, almost nothing
gracias, - de nada, thanks, - don't mention it
más que nada: te lo digo más que nada para que no vayas a meter la pata, more than anything else I'm telling you so you don't put your foot in it
nada más: nada más oírlo, as soon as she heard it
familiar para nada, not at all
nadar verbo intransitivo
1 Dep to swim: no sé nadar, I can't swim
2 (un objeto) to float
3 (tener en abundancia) nada en libros, she has a lot of books
' nada' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
absolutamente
- adelantar
- adorno
- amilanarse
- amohinarse
- balde
- bastante
- bregar
- cabo
- callar
- calmarse
- cero
- ciega
- ciego
- clara
- claro
- comecome
- como
- comparecencia
- concreta
- concreto
- conducir
- contra
- dar
- débil
- decir
- derecha
- desocupada
- desocupado
- doblar
- doblarse
- doble
- ecuánime
- embalarse
- envidiar
- escaramuza
- escarceo
- faltar
- frescura
- ir
- gusto
- hablar
- incumbir
- interés
- interlunio
- jota
- jueves
- maldita
- maldito
- más
English:
all
- all right
- amusing
- antsy
- anything
- associate
- avail
- blank
- board
- breathe
- burn
- clash
- clear
- click
- come into
- contrary
- cop
- damn
- dark
- dark horse
- dead
- depth
- dim
- dishwater
- disorderly
- drone
- dwindle
- earth
- earthly
- easy
- enforce
- ever
- excuse
- first
- flair
- further
- go on
- go without
- going
- good
- hand
- hang about
- hang around
- hardly
- harm
- have
- head
- home
- hot
- ill-considered

* * *

nada

♦ pron

1. [ninguna cosa o cantidad] nothing;
[en negativas] anything;
no he leído nada de Lorca I haven't read anything by Lorca;

no pasó nada nothing happened;

a él nada parece satisfacerle he never seems to be satisfied with anything;

de nada vale insistir there's no point in insisting;

nada me gustaría más que poder ayudarte there's nothing I'd like more than to be able to help you;

no hay nada como un buen libro there's nothing (quite) like a good book;

tranquilos, no es nada don't worry, it's nothing serious;

casi nada almost nothing;

de nada, Am [m5] por nada [respuesta a “gracias”] you're welcome, don't mention it;

esto no es nada that's nothing;

no queda nada de café there's no coffee left;

no tengo nada de ganas de ir I don't feel like going at all;

no dijo nada de nada he didn't say anything at all;

no me ha gustado nada de nada I didn't like it at all o one little bit;

nada de quejas, ¿de acuerdo? no complaining, right?, I don't want any complaints, right?;

nada más nothing else, nothing more;

¿desean algo más? – nada más, gracias do you want anything else? – no, that's everything o all, thank you;

no quiero nada más I don't want anything else;

me dio de plazo dos días nada más she only gave me two days to do it;

me ha costado nada más que 20 dólares it only cost me 20 dollars;

¡tanto esfuerzo para nada! all that effort for nothing!

2. [poco, muy poco]
yo apenas sé nada de ese tema I hardly know anything about that subject;

es muy frágil y con nada se parte it's very fragile and is easily broken;

dentro de nada any second now;

lo he visto salir hace nada I saw him leave just a moment ago o just this minute;

no hace nada que salió he left just a moment ago o just this minute;

por nada se enfada she gets angry at the slightest thing, it doesn't take much for her to get angry;
CAm, Col, Ven Fam
a cada nada every five minutes, constantly;
Méx
en nada estuvo que se casara he very nearly got married

3. Esp [en tenis] love;

treinta nada thirty love

4. [expresando negación]
¡nada de eso! absolutely not!;

no pienso ir, ni llamar, ni nada I won't go, or call, or anything;

no tenemos ni coche, ni moto, ni nada que se le parezca we don't have a car or a motorbike, or anything of that sort

5. Comp

¡ahí es nada!, ¡casi nada!: cuesta cinco millones, ¡ahí es nada! o [m5]¡casi nada! it costs a cool five million!;

como si nada as if nothing was the matter, as if nothing had happened;

(nada más y) nada menos que [cosa] no less than;
[persona] none other than; Fam
ni nada: ¡no es alta ni nada la chica! she's tall all right!, you could say she's tall!;

no es por nada: no es por nada pero creo que estás equivocado don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're mistaken;

no es por nada pero llevas la bragueta abierta by the way, your fly's undone

♦ adv

1. [en absoluto] at all;

la película no me ha gustado nada I didn't like the movie at all;

no he dormido nada I didn't get any sleep at all;

no es nada extraño it's not at all strange;

la obra no es nada aburrida the play isn't the slightest bit boring;

no está nada mal it's not at all bad;

no nos llevamos nada bien we don't get on at all well;
Fam
¿te importa que me quede? – ¡para nada! do you mind if I stay? – of course not! o not at all!

2. Fam [enfático]
nada, que no hay manera de convencerle but no, he just refuses to be convinced

♦ nf

1.
la nada nothingness, the void;
[el no ser]
salir o [m5] surgir de la nada to appear out of o from nowhere

2. Méx, RP Fam [muy poco]
le pedí plata y me dio una nada I asked him for some money and he gave me next to nothing;

comí una nada de helado I had a tiny bit of ice cream

♦ de nada loc adj

te he traído un regalito de nada I've brought you a little something;

es sólo un rasguño de nada it's just a little scratch

♦ nada más loc adv

1. [al poco de]
nada más salir de casa… no sooner had I left the house than…, as soon as I left the house…;

nos iremos nada más cenar we'll go as soon as we've had dinner, we'll go straight after dinner

2. Méx [solamente]
nada más vine yo I'm the only one who's come

3. Méx [sin más]
de la fiesta regresaron a casa y nada más they went straight home after the party

* * *

nada

I pron nothing;

no hay nada there isn’t anything;

no es nada it’s nothing;

nada más nothing else;

nada menos que no less than;

nada de nada nothing at all;

para nada not at all;

no lo entiendes para nada you don’t understand at all;

lo dices como si nada you talk about it as if it was nothing;

más que nada more than anything;

no lo haría por nada del mundo I wouldn’t do it if you paid me;

por menos de nada for no reason at all;

nada más llegar as soon as I arrived;

antes de nada first of all;

¡nada de eso! fam you can put that idea out of your head;

¡casi nada! peanuts!;

¡de nada! you’re welcome, not at all;

pues nada, … well, …

II adv not at all;

no ha llovido nada it hasn’t rained;

no estoy nada contento I’m not at all happy

III f nothingness

* * *

nada adv

: not at all, not in the least

no estamos nada cansados: we are not at all tired

nada nf

1) : nothingness

2) : smidgen, bit

una nada le disgusta: the slightest thing upsets him

nada pron

1) : nothing

no estoy haciendo nada: I'm not doing anything

2)

casi nada : next to nothing

3)

de nada : you're welcome

4)

dentro de nada : very soon, in no time

5)

nada más : nothing else, nothing more

* * *

nada¹ adv at all

no le ha gustado nada she didn't like it at all

nada² pron

1. nothing / not... anything

Con el verbo en afirmativo se utiliza nothing

no hay nada, está vacío there's nothing there, it's empty

no tengo nada que hacer I've got nothing to do

Con el verbo en negativo se utiliza anything

dijo que no quería nada she said she didn't want anything

no se me ocurre nada I can't think of anything

2. (en tenis) love

quince nada fifteen love

de nada (como respuesta) you're welcome / don't mention it (sin importancia) little / slight

un retraso de nada a slight delay

nada de no / any

no tengo nada de dinero I've got no money / I haven't got any money

no habla nada de inglés he speaks no English / doesn't speak any English

nada más (eso es todo) that's all (sólo) only / just

era estúpido nada más he was just stupid

nada más... as soon as...

nada más entrar, vi a Fernando I saw Fernando as soon as I went in

Spanish-English dictionary > nada

20 no

nəu
1. adjective
1) (not any: We have no food; No other person could have done it.) ninguno

2) (not allowed: No smoking.) prohibido

3) (not a: He is no friend of mine; This will be no easy task.) ningún

2. adverb
(not (any): He is no better at golf than swimming; He went as far as the shop and no further.) no

3. interjection
(a word used for denying, disagreeing, refusing etc: `Do you like travelling?' `No, (I don't).'; No, I don't agree; `Will you help me?' `No, I won't.') no

4. noun plural
( noes)

1) (a refusal: She answered with a definite no.) no

2) (a vote against something: The noes have won.) no

•

- nobody

5. noun
(a very unimportant person: She's just a nobody.)

- no-one
- there's no saying
- knowing

no¹ adj ninguno

there are no children in the classroom no hay ningún niño en la clase

I have no money no tengo dinero

no² adv no

is it raining? No, it's snowing ¿llueve? No, nieva

Multiple Entries: NO     no
NO (
◊ noroeste) NW

no adverbio
a) ( como respuesta) no;
(modificando adverbios, oraciones, verbos) not la negación de la mayoría de los verbos ingleses requiere el uso del auxiliar `do'
◊ ¿te gustó? — no did you like it? — no, I didn't;
¿vienes o no? are you coming or not?; no te preocupes don't worry; ¿por qué no quieres ir? — porque no why don't you want to go? — I just don't
b) ( con otro negativo):

◊ no veo nada I can't see a thing o anything;
no viene nunca she never comes
c) ( en coletillas interrogativas):

◊ está mejor ¿no? she's better, isn't she?;
ha dimitido ¿no? he has resigned, hasn't he?
d) ( expresando incredulidad):

◊ se ganó la lotería — ¡no! he won the lottery — he didn't! o no!

e) ( sustituyendo a una cláusula):

◊ creo que no I don't think so;
¿te gustó? a mí no did you like it? I didn't
f) (delante de n, adj, pp):

◊ los no fumadores nonsmokers;
la no violencia non-violence; un hijo no deseado an unwanted child ■ sustantivo masculino (pl
◊ noes) no

no
I adverbio
1 (como respuesta) no: ¿quieres un poco?, - no, gracias, would you like a bit?, - no, thanks
2 (en frases negativas) not: aún no está dormido, he isn't asleep yet
hoy no es jueves, today isn't Thursday
no, no iré, no, I will not go
no tengo hambre, I am not hungry
¿por qué no?, why not?
ya no fuma, she doesn't smoke any more
3 (antepuesto a un nombre) la no colaboración se penalizará, non-collaboration will be penalized
4 (con otros negativos) no diré nada, I won't say a single word
no lo haré jamás, I'll never do it
no sin antes..., not without first...
5 (en advertencia, cartel) no fumar, no smoking
6 (en preguntas retóricas o de confirmación) está enfadado, ¿no es así?, he is angry, isn't he?
estoy guapa, ¿o no?, I'm smart, aren't I?
firmarás el contrato, ¿no?, you'll sign the contract, won't you?
¿no nos presentaron el otro día?, weren't we introduced the other day?
7 (para expresar un temor) llévate el paraguas, no sea que llueva, take your umbrella in case it rains
II sustantivo masculino no: ¿es un no definitivo?, is that a definite no? 'no' also found in these entries: Spanish: A - abandonar - abandonada - abandonado - abandonarse - abarcar - abarrotada - abarrotado - abasto - abatir - abatimiento - abonarse - abortar - abrir - abreviar - abrigar - absoluta - absolutamente - absoluto - abstraerse - abuela - abundar - aburrida - aburrido - abusar - acabar - acallar - acalorarse - acariciar - acaso - accesoria - accesorio - aceptar - acertada - acertado - achacar - achantarse - aclararse - aconsejar - actuación - actual - acudir - adelantar - adelante - adentro - adivinar - admitir - adónde - adorno - advertir English: abide - ablaze - able - about - absence - absent - accepted - accommodate - account - accountable - accustom - act on - action - actual - actually - add up - adequately - adjust - admit - admittance - advertise - advise - affair - afford - afraid - agree - agreement - albeit - alike - alive - all - alone - aloud - also - alternative - altogether - always - ambit - amiss - amusing - anathema - and - answer - answer back - antisexist - any - anybody - anything - anywhere - apart

No

tr['nʌmbə^SMALLr/SMALL] (Also written no; pl Nos, nos)

abbreviation

1 ( number) número; (abbreviation) nº, núm.

no ['no:] adv

: no

are you leaving?-no: ¿te vas?-no

no less than: no menos de

to say no: decir que no

like it or no: quieras o no quieras

no adj

1) : ninguno

it's no trouble: no es ningún problema

she has no money: no tiene dinero

2) (indicating a small amount)

we'll be there in no time: llegamos dentro de poco, no tardamos nada

3) (expressing a negation)

he's no liar: no es mentiroso

no n, pl noes or nos ['no:z]

1) denial: no m

I won't take no for an answer: no aceptaré un no por respuesta

2) : vota f en contra

the noes have it: se ha rechazado la moción

no

adj.

• ninguno, -a adj.

adv.

• no adv.

n.

• no s.m.

• voto negativo s.m.

I nəʊ
adjective

1)

a) (+ pl n)

they have no children — no tienen hijos

the room has no windows — la habitación no tiene ninguna ventana or no tiene ventanas

I am under no illusions — no me hago ilusiones

b) (+ uncount n)

there's no food left — no queda nada de comida

there's no time for that now — no tenemos tiempo para eso ahora

how can we cook with no electricity? — ¿cómo vamos a cocinar sin electricidad?

c) (+ sing count n)

this cup has no handle — esta taza no tiene asa

no intelligent person would do that — ninguna persona inteligente haría eso

2) ( in understatements)

I'm no expert, but... — no soy ningún experto, pero...

she told him what she thought in no uncertain terms — le dijo lo que pensaba muy claramente

3)

a) (prohibiting, demanding)

no smoking — prohibido fumar

no dogs allowed — no se admiten perros

b) (with -ing form)

there's no pleasing some people — no hay manera de complacer a cierta gente

there'll be no stopping them now — ahora no hay quien los pare

4) ( very little)

it's no distance — no queda muy lejos

I'll be finished in no time (at all) — termino enseguida

II

adverb (before adj or adv)

my house is no larger than yours — mi casa no es más grande que la tuya

I no longer work for them — ya no trabajo para ellos, no trabajo más para ellos

no fewer than 200 guests are expected — se espera nada menos que a unos 200 invitados

III

interjection no

to say no — decir* que no

don't take no for an answer — no te conformes con un no

no, thank you — no, gracias

have you seen John? - no, I haven't — ¿has visto a John? - no

oh no, you don't! — eso sí que no!

oh no, not again! — ay no, otra vez!

IV

noun (pl noes)

a) ( negative answer) no m

b) ( vote) voto m en contra

V

(pl nos) (= number) n^o, N^o

phone no 34682 — (n^o de) Tel.: 34682

[nǝʊ]
1. ADV

1) (answer) no

2) (emphatic) no

3) (in comparisons)

I am no taller than you — yo no soy más alto que tú

2. ADJ

1) (=not any) ningún

they've got no friends in London — no tienen ningún conocido en Londres

there are no trains after midnight — no hay trenes después de medianoche

I have no money/furniture etc — no tengo dinero/muebles etc

no admittance, no entry — se prohíbe la entrada

"no parking" — "no aparcar", "no estacionarse" (esp LAm)

no smoking — prohibido fumar

• it's no good — es inútil

• details of little or no interest — detalles mpl sin interés

• there is no coffee left — no queda café

• we'll be there in no time — llegamos en un dos por tres, no tardamos nada

• it's no trouble — no es molestia

• no two of them are alike — no hay dos iguales

• it's no use — es inútil

2) (=quite other than)

he's no film star! that's the man who lives at number 54 — ¡ese no es una or no es ninguna estrella de cine! es el señor que vive en el número 54

• he's no fool — no es tonto, ni mucho menos, no es ningún tonto

• he's no friend of mine — no es precisamente amigo mío

3) (=no way of)

• there's no denying it — es imposible negarlo

• there's no getting out of it — no hay posibilidad de evitarlo

• there's no pleasing him — es imposible contentarle; see doubt 1.; see end 1., 2); see joke 1.

4)

• no place * adv — = nowhere

3. N
(pl noes)
1) (=refusal) no m

I won't take no for an answer — no acepto un no por respuesta

2) (Pol) voto m en contra

the noes have it — se ha rechazado la moción

4.

CPD

no entry sign N — (=traffic sign) señal f de prohibido el paso; (on gate, door) cartel m de "prohibido el paso"

no throw N — (Sport) lanzamiento m nulo

* * *

I [nəʊ]
adjective

1)

a) (+ pl n)

they have no children — no tienen hijos

the room has no windows — la habitación no tiene ninguna ventana or no tiene ventanas

I am under no illusions — no me hago ilusiones

b) (+ uncount n)

there's no food left — no queda nada de comida

there's no time for that now — no tenemos tiempo para eso ahora

how can we cook with no electricity? — ¿cómo vamos a cocinar sin electricidad?

c) (+ sing count n)

this cup has no handle — esta taza no tiene asa

no intelligent person would do that — ninguna persona inteligente haría eso

2) ( in understatements)

I'm no expert, but... — no soy ningún experto, pero...

she told him what she thought in no uncertain terms — le dijo lo que pensaba muy claramente

3)

a) (prohibiting, demanding)

no smoking — prohibido fumar

no dogs allowed — no se admiten perros

b) (with -ing form)

there's no pleasing some people — no hay manera de complacer a cierta gente

there'll be no stopping them now — ahora no hay quien los pare

4) ( very little)

it's no distance — no queda muy lejos

I'll be finished in no time (at all) — termino enseguida

II

adverb (before adj or adv)

my house is no larger than yours — mi casa no es más grande que la tuya

I no longer work for them — ya no trabajo para ellos, no trabajo más para ellos

no fewer than 200 guests are expected — se espera nada menos que a unos 200 invitados

III

interjection no

to say no — decir* que no

don't take no for an answer — no te conformes con un no

no, thank you — no, gracias

have you seen John? - no, I haven't — ¿has visto a John? - no

oh no, you don't! — eso sí que no!

oh no, not again! — ay no, otra vez!

IV

noun (pl noes)

a) ( negative answer) no m

b) ( vote) voto m en contra

V

(pl nos) (= number) n^o, N^o

phone no 34682 — (n^o de) Tel.: 34682

English-spanish dictionary > no

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