Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say More in Spanish: Más, Comparisons, and Superlatives
Más · adverb / adjective · MAHS
More in Spanish is más (MAHS), a tiny but essential word that appears everywhere. It works as an adverb (hablar más = to speak more), an adjective (más dinero = more money), and as the building block for comparisons (más alto que = taller than) and superlatives (el más alto = the tallest). The written accent on the a distinguishes más (more) from mas (but, literary), though the latter is rare in everyday Spanish.
Más is a single syllable: MAHS. The a is open and clear, and the s is sharp. The written accent mark is mandatory — it distinguishes the adverb/adjective from the archaic conjunction mas (but).
Necesito más tiempo para terminar el proyecto.
I need more time to finish the project.
More in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for more, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| más | more | MAHS | Default, widely understood |
| más que | more | more than (comparisons) | |
| más de | more | more than (before numbers) |
How Native Speakers Use Más
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Requesting more of something
¿Me puedes dar más café, por favor?
Can you give me more coffee, please?
Más before a noun means 'more of' that thing. No preposition is needed between más and the noun: más café, más agua, más pan.
Comparison with que
Mi hermano es más alto que yo.
My brother is taller than me.
Spanish forms comparatives with más + adjective + que. Unlike English, there is no separate comparative form: más alto (taller), más rápido (faster), más barato (cheaper).
More than a number
Hay más de doscientas personas en la sala.
There are more than two hundred people in the room.
Before a number, Spanish uses más de (not más que). Más de doscientas, más de mil, más de un millón.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Más
Using más que before numbers
Incorrect: Tiene más que treinta años.
Correct: Tiene más de treinta años.
Before numbers, Spanish requires más de, not más que. Más que is used for comparisons between two things (es más alto que yo), while más de precedes quantities (más de treinta).
Forgetting the accent on más
Incorrect: Quiero mas agua. (mas without accent = but)
Correct: Quiero más agua.
Without the accent, mas is an archaic literary word for 'but' (equivalent to pero). The accent on más is not optional — it changes the meaning. Always write más when you mean 'more.'
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Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Más used by native speakers
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Common Questions About More in Spanish
- How do you say more in Spanish?
- More in Spanish is más (MAHS). It is used for quantities (más agua), comparisons (más grande que), and superlatives (el más grande). It always carries a written accent to distinguish it from mas (but).
- What is the difference between más que and más de?
- Más que is used for comparisons between two things: 'es más inteligente que su hermano' (he is smarter than his brother). Más de is used before numbers or quantities: 'más de cien personas' (more than one hundred people). Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes for Spanish learners.
- Are there irregular comparatives in Spanish that don't use más?
- Several high-frequency adjectives skip más entirely and use irregular comparative forms: bueno → mejor (better), malo → peor (worse), grande → mayor (older/greater), pequeño → menor (younger/lesser). Standard Spanish uses mejor and peor, not más bueno or más malo.