(como superlativo)

• y lo que es mejor — and even better, and better still

• mejor que algo — better than sth

• ser mejor — to be better

• lo mejor — the best

• os deseo lo mejor del mundo — I wish you all the best

• tenéis que hacerlo lo mejor posible — you have to do the best you can, you have to do your best

• lo hice lo mejor que pude — I did it the best I could, I did it as well as I could

• estar en lo mejor de la vida — to be in the prime of life

• mejor dicho — or rather, or I should say

lleva tres años en Inglaterra, o mejor dicho, en el Reino Unido — she's been in England, or rather o or I should say the United Kingdom, for three years

• mucho mejor — much better, a lot better *

• mejor o peor, mejor o peor, ya saldremos adelante — for better or (for) worse, we'll come through this

• mejor que mejor, tanto mejor — so much the better, all the better

tú, mejor te callas — * you'd better keep quiet *

mejor me voy — * I'd better go

-¿crees que lloverá hoy? -a lo mejor — "do you think it will rain today?" - "maybe" o "it might"

tanto mejor or mejor que mejor — so much the better

al final todo fue para mejor — it was all for o it all worked out for the best in the end

le deseo lo mejor — I wish you the very best o all the best

éste es el mejor — it's the best one o this one is the best

lo hice lo mejor que pude — I did it as best I could o (frml) to the best of my ability

mejor pídeselo tú — it would be better if you asked him

el/la mejor — ( de dos) the better; ( de varios) the best

tanto mejor or mejor que mejor — so much the better

al final todo fue para mejor — it was all for o it all worked out for the best in the end

le deseo lo mejor — I wish you the very best o all the best

éste es el mejor — it's the best one o this one is the best

lo hice lo mejor que pude — I did it as best I could o (frml) to the best of my ability

mejor pídeselo tú — it would be better if you asked him

el/la mejor — ( de dos) the better; ( de varios) the best

Ex: This fact further reinforces the notion that Western Europeans 'civilized' the world in the best interests of us -- the majority -- all.

Ex: Often it would be advantageous to be able to snap the camera and to look at the picture immediately.

• ir a peor — to get worse

• y lo que es peor — and what's worse

• peor es nada — LAm it's better than nothing

• en el peor de los casos — if the worst comes to the worst

• lo peor, lo peor de todo es que no podemos hacer nada — the worst thing is that there is nothing we can do

• la peor parte — the worst part

• si no le gusta, peor para él — if he doesn't like it, that's his loss o that's just too bad

esta es la carta peor redactada que he leído nunca — this is the most badly o the worst written letter I've ever read

pues peor para él — that's his loss

y si vienen los dos, tanto peor or peor que peor — and it'll be even worse if the two of them come

los enfermos que estaban peor or peores — the patients who were most seriously ill

son los que están peor or peores de dinero — they're the worst off (for money)

el/la peor — ( de dos) the worse; ( de varios) the worst

pues peor para él — that's his loss

y si vienen los dos, tanto peor or peor que peor — and it'll be even worse if the two of them come

los enfermos que estaban peor or peores — the patients who were most seriously ill

son los que están peor or peores de dinero — they're the worst off (for money)

el/la peor — ( de dos) the worse; ( de varios) the worst

Ex: Thus far we seem to be worse off than before -- for we can enormously extend the record; yet even in its present bulk we can hardly consult it.

• menos aún — even less

• menos de — [con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo] less than; [con sustantivos contables] fewer than

llegamos en menos de diez minutos — we got there in less than o in under ten minutes

• en menos de nada — in no time at all

• menos que — less than

• al menos — at least

• 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

• echar de menos a algn — to miss sb

• ir a menos — to come down in the world

• lo menos diez — at least ten

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

• ¡menos mal! — thank goodness!

• 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!"

• 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!

• menos... que, A tiene menos ventajas que B — A has fewer advantages than B

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

cinco menos dos — five minus o less two

• a menos que — unless

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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