Comparing Quantities
Normally in Spanish, you use más que (more than) or menos que (less/fewer than) to compare two things. However, when your comparison is followed by a number or a mathematical quantity, que changes to de.
Más de (More than)
When dealing with demographic data, census results, or ages, use más de before a number to say "more than" or "over."
| In that survey there are more than fifty questions. | En esa encuesta hay más de cincuenta preguntas. |
| According to that census, there are more than a thousand people in the population. | Según ese censo, hay más de mil personas en la población. |
| The majority of the population is over thirty years old. | La mayoría de la población tiene más de treinta años. |
Menos de (Less / Fewer than)
Similarly, use menos de before a number to say "less than" or "fewer than."
| That town has fewer than a hundred inhabitants. | Ese pueblo tiene menos de cien habitantes. |
| That group has fewer than twenty people. | Ese grupo tiene menos de veinte personas. |
Working with Fractions
This rule also applies to numerical concepts and fractions, such as la mitad (half).
| More than half of the people are not in the registry. | Más de la mitad de la gente no está en el registro. |
| That percentage is less than half. | Ese porcentaje es menos de la mitad. |
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