than

than [ðæn, ðən]

conjunction

   a. que

• I have more than you j'en ai plus que toi

• he is taller than his sister il est plus grand que sa sœur

• you'd be better going by car than by bus tu ferais mieux d'y aller en voiture plutôt qu'en autobus

• it was a better play than we expected la pièce était meilleure que prévu

   b. (with numerals) de

• more/less than 20 plus/moins de 20

• more than once plus d'une fois

* * *

Note: When than is used as a preposition in expressions of comparison, it is translated by que (or qu' before a vowel or mute ‘h’): he's taller than me = il est plus grand que moi; London is bigger than Oxford = Londres est plus grand qu'Oxford

For expressions with numbers, temperatures etc see the entry below

See also the entries more, less, hardly, soon, rather, other

When than is used as a conjunction, it is translated by que and the verb following it is preceded by ne: it was farther than I thought = c'était plus loin que je ne pensais. However, French speakers often try to phrase the comparison differently: it was more difficult than we expected = c'était plus difficile que prévu. For other uses see the entry below

See also the entries hardly, rather, soon

[ðæn, ðən] 1.

preposition

1) (in comparisons) que

thinner than him — plus mince que lui

he has more than me — il en a plus que moi

I was more surprised than annoyed — j'étais plus étonné qu'ennuyé

2) (expressing quantity, degree, value) de

more/less than 100 — plus/moins de 100

more than half — plus de la moitié

temperatures lower than 30 degrees — des températures de moins de 30 degrés

2.

conjunction

1) (in comparisons) que

he's older than I am — il est plus âgé que moi

it took us longer than we thought it would — ça nous a pris plus de temps que prévu

it was further away than I remembered — c'était plus loin que dans mon souvenir

2) (expressing preferences)

I'd sooner ou rather do X than do Y — je préférerais faire X que (de) faire Y

3) (when)

hardly ou no sooner had he left than the phone rang — à peine était-il parti que le téléphone a sonné

4) US (from)

to be different than something — être différent de quelque chose

English-French dictionary. 2013.