French Conversation · Level 16
89 words
French word
moins
Pronunciation
IPA/mwɛ̃/
Meaning
- adverbless
Example
J'ai moins d'argent que toi.
I have less money than you do.
More examples
Il voyage moins depuis le confinement.
He has been traveling less ever since lockdown.
Core concept
A quantity reduced below another amount, extending to minutes counted back from the next full hour.
Common phrases
moins de
less
moins que
less than
moins cher
cheaper
Similar words
peu: To a limited degree or with low frequency.
un peu: To a very small degree or amount.
à peine: Barely reaching a particular state or level.
Definition in French
Exprime une quantité plus faible et servant aussi dans des expressions temporelles pour indiquer un temps avant l'heure pleine (par ex. trois heures moins le quart).
Word origin
French moins comes from Latin minus, meaning less, and retains this basic comparative sense in quantity and clock expressions.
Usage tips
- With a noun, moins normally takes de, as in moins d'argent, while moins que introduces the item used for comparison.