Almost every English speaker uses either fewer or less (or both) incorrectly, even native speakers! And though with every year the distinction between the two adjectives seems to fade a little more in the eyes of the general public, it remains an important distinction to understand. It’s worth your attention!
Less is used to describe a mass or amounts, things that can only be measured, not counted. It indicates that there is a smaller amount of one thing in comparison to another thing.
Make sure you pour less water this time. = Asegúrate de echar menos agua esta vez.
There is less wine in my glass than in hers. = Hay menos vino en mi copa que en la suya.
Our house has less space than my parent’s basement. = Nuestra casa tiene menos espacio que el sótano de mis padres.
The Picasso painting sold for less than expected. = La pintura de Picasso se vendió por menos de lo esperado.
I have less money than I used to = Tengo menos dinero que antes.
The adjective fewer is used in a way that is very similar to less. However, fewer is used to describe things that can be counted individually.
There are fewer people living in the suburbs these days. = Hoy en día, hay menos gente que vive en las afueras.
Fewer people came to this week’s meeting. = Menos personas acudieron a la reunión esta semana.
It’s not fair that I received fewer gifts than Ben. = No es justo que yo haya recibido menos regalos que Ben.
There are five fewer cookies in this jar! = ¡Hay cinco galletas menos en el tarro!
Fewer dollars will be allocated for education in this year’s budget. = Menos dólares serán asignados para la educación en el presupuesto de este año.
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