ALMENO, PERLOMENO, A MENO CHE and MEN CHE MENO! What’s the difference?

In today’s article we are going to talk about  the difference among ALMENO, PERLOMENO, A MENO CHE and MEN CHE MENO… Do you already know the difference?

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All the Words that include MENO in Italian! 

Let’s get it started with today’s first word by getting straight to the point!

What does ALMENO mean?

This word is used to refer to a lower limit that can lie in a quantity or also an action.

For example:

“Voglio almeno due cani” [I want at least two dogs]

Or:

“Voglio almeno andare al cinema: c’è Spider-man: Far from Home” [I want at least go to the cinema: there’s Spider-man: Far from Home]

Ah, talking about Spider-man: Far from Home! Did any of you guys watch it? Did you notice that it is set in Italy too? There’s also a scene in which they mention the word BOH… do you remember that? It’s one of  the  alternatives to “non lo so” (I don’t know) we told you about in a past lesson.

What does PERLOMENO mean?

PERLOMENO is a synonym for ALMENO.

For example:

“Vorrei perlomeno due cani” [I’d like to have two dogs, at the very least]

Or:

“Vorrei perlomeno andare al cinema” [I’d like to have to go the cinema, at the very least]

What does A MENO CHE mean?

It has a whole different use and meaning from the two previous words.

A MENO CHE  is used with the meaning of “tranne se”, “eccetto se”, “se non” (unless, except if); therefore it is used to indicate a condition that if takes place, it results in a different action from the one expressed n the main clause.

For example:

“Andremo a vivere nel Regno Unito a meno che non litighiamo” [We will move to England unless we argue]

(It means that Rocco and I are going to live in England if a fight won’t happen)

Or:

“I nostri studenti non visiteranno il nostro sito a meno che non ci siano gli esercizi da fare” (Our students won’t visit our site except if there are some exercises to do)

(It means you shouldn’t visit our site if there weren’t exercises but there are so go visit it!)

It’s quite a twisted example, isn’t it?

Good, it’s time for the EXPRESSION OF THE DAY:

“NON DIRE GATTO SE NON CE L’HAI NEL SACCO” [Don’t count your chickens before they hatched]

This expression is used to warn someone to not claim victory, celebrate or be pleased with something positive, if it’s not 100% sure to have succeeded.

For example:

“Rocco, abbiamo quasi raggiunto 50 mila iscritti!” (Rocco, we almost reached 50k subscribers)

Graziana, non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco! [Graziana, don’t count your chickens before they hatched]

But, anyway…

What does MEN CHE MENO mean?

MEN CHE MENO is nothing but a synonym for  “ancor meno” or “meno che mai” (much/even less, least of all); so, it is use to emphasize a negation that usually follows another one…

Let’s make some examples:

“Non parlo cinese, men che meno russo!” [I don’t speak Chinese, much less Russian]

(Namely, I don’t know the Chinese language, let alone the Russian language!)

Or:

“Non ho un conto corrente, men che meno un milione di euro” [I don’t have a bank account, even less €1 million…]

(If I don’t have a bank account, imagine if I can have € 1 million…)

Ok, now you just have to visit our e-shop and buy one of our amazing products: there are t-shirts, sweatshirts, cups, you name it: LearnAmo Collection!

Ah, don’t forget to watch our interesting lesson on ORA, ORAMAI and ORMAI!

Let’s see if you’ve mastered the contents of this class. Have a go at completing the exercises!

Caricamento quiz in corso…

La differenza tra ALMENO, PERLOMENO, A MENO CHE e MEN CHE MENO!

Test sulle espressioni italiane almeno, perlomeno, a meno che e men che meno. Impara a usare correttamente queste espressioni nelle diverse situazioni comunicative.

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