Bedeutung
Indicating an approximate state or agreement.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'hand tilt' gesture is essential. Hold your hand out, fingers slightly spread, and rotate your wrist left and right. Without this, the phrase loses half its power. In the South, 'più o meno' can be even more elastic. It often accompanies a relaxed attitude toward punctuality, where 'five minutes' can mean twenty. Italians use this to avoid 'hard' commitments in early negotiations, allowing for a 'soft' entry into agreements. The 'quarto d'ora accademico' is the personification of 'più o meno.' Classes start 15 minutes late 'more or less' by tradition.
The Standalone Answer
If you don't know how to answer a complex question in Italian, just say 'Più o meno' with a shrug. It's the ultimate 'get out of jail free' card for beginners.
Don't over-accent the 'o'
The 'o' in the middle should be very short. If you drag it out, you'll sound like you're thinking too hard.
Bedeutung
Indicating an approximate state or agreement.
The Standalone Answer
If you don't know how to answer a complex question in Italian, just say 'Più o meno' with a shrug. It's the ultimate 'get out of jail free' card for beginners.
Don't over-accent the 'o'
The 'o' in the middle should be very short. If you drag it out, you'll sound like you're thinking too hard.
The Hand Gesture
Always use the tilting hand gesture. It makes you look 50% more fluent instantly.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with 'più o meno' to complete the time estimate.
Il treno arriva tra dieci minuti, ___.
In this context, it indicates that the ten-minute wait is an estimate.
Which is the most natural response to 'Ti piace il nuovo ristorante?' if you think it's just okay?
Ti piace il nuovo ristorante?
'Più o meno' is the perfect way to express a neutral or mixed opinion.
Match the Italian phrase with its English equivalent.
Match the pairs:
These are all synonyms with slightly different registers.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
A: Hai finito i compiti? B: ___, mi manca solo l'ultima pagina.
Since only one page is missing, the work is 'more or less' done.
In which situation would you NOT use 'più o meno'?
Choose the situation:
Medical data requires precision, so 'più o meno' is inappropriate.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Più o Meno vs. Così Così
Aufgabensammlung
5 AufgabenIl treno arriva tra dieci minuti, ___.
In this context, it indicates that the ten-minute wait is an estimate.
Ti piace il nuovo ristorante?
'Più o meno' is the perfect way to express a neutral or mixed opinion.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are all synonyms with slightly different registers.
A: Hai finito i compiti? B: ___, mi manca solo l'ultima pagina.
Since only one page is missing, the work is 'more or less' done.
Choose the situation:
Medical data requires precision, so 'più o meno' is inappropriate.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but mostly for opinions or progress. For health or physical state, 'così così' is more common.
It's neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
Usually before the number or adjective, or at the very end of the sentence.
'Circa' is more formal and almost exclusively used with numbers. 'Più o meno' is more versatile.
No, just 'più o meno' followed directly by the number or noun.
Not a standard one, but in texts, people just write it out because it's short.
No, it is invariable. It stays 'più o meno' forever.
Yes, 'più o meno tutti' means 'more or less everyone' or 'mostly everyone.'
Not at all, it's often seen as more honest and polite than a fake 'yes'.
The accent means you should put the stress on that vowel, making it sharp and clear.
Verwandte Redewendungen
su per giù
synonymroughly / approximately
circa
similarabout / around
quasi
similaralmost
così così
similarso-so
esattamente
contrastexactly
