than

than  (n, n)

conj.

1. Used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second element or clause of an unequal comparison: She is a better athlete than I.

2. Used to introduce the second element after certain words indicating difference: He draws quite differently than she does.

3. When. Used especially after hardly and scarcely: I had scarcely walked in the door than the commotion started.

prep. Usage Problem

In comparison or contrast with: could run faster than him; outclassed everyone other than her.

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[Middle English, from Old English thanne, than; see to- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: Since the 18th century grammarians have insisted that than should be regarded as a conjunction in all its uses, so that a sentence such as Bill is taller than Tom should be construed as an elliptical version of the sentence Bill is taller than Tom is. According to this view, the case of a pronoun following than is determined by whether the pronoun serves as the subject or object of the verb that is "understood." Thus, the standard rule requires Pat is taller than I (not me) on the assumption that this sentence is elliptical for Pat is taller than I am but allows The news surprised Pat more than me, since this sentence is taken as elliptical for The news surprised Pat more than it surprised me. However, than is quite commonly treated as a preposition when followed by an isolated noun phrase, and as such occurs with a pronoun in the objective case: John is taller than me. Though this usage is still widely regarded as incorrect, it is predominant in speech and has reputable literary precedent, appearing in the writing of such respected authors as Shakespeare, Johnson, Swift, Scott, and Faulkner. It is also consistent with the fact that than is clearly treated as a preposition in the than whom construction, as in a poet than whom (not than who) no one has a dearer place in the hearts of his countrymen. Still, the writer who risks a sentence like Mary is taller than him in formal writing must be prepared to defend the usage against objections of critics who are unlikely to be dissuaded from the conviction that the usage is incorrect.·Comparatives using as . . . as can be analyzed as parallel to those using than. Traditional grammarians insist that I am not as tall as he is the only correct form; in formal writing, one should adhere to this rule. However, one can cite both literary precedent and syntactic arguments in favor of analyzing the second as as a preposition (which would allow constructions such as I am not as tall as him). See Usage Note at as¹.

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than

conj, prep

1. used to introduce the second element of a comparison, the first element of which expresses difference: men are less observant than women and children

2. used to state a number, quantity, or value in approximate terms by contrasting it with another number, quantity, or value: temperatures lower than 25 degrees

3. used after the adverbs rather and sooner to introduce a rejected alternative: fruit is examined by hand, rather than by machine [Old English thanne]

USAGE: In formal English, than is usually regarded as a conjunction governing an unexpressed verb: he does it far better than I (do). The case of any pronoun therefore depends on whether it is the subject or object of the unexpressed verb: she likes him more than I (like him); she likes him more than (she likes) me. However in ordinary speech and writing than is usually treated as a preposition and is followed by the object form of a pronoun: my brother is younger than me.

Translations

than [ðæn, ðən] conj → que;

(with numerals): more than 10/once → más de 10/una vez;

I have more/less than you → tengo más/menos que tú;

it is better to phone than to write → es mejor llamar por teléfono que escribir;

no sooner did he leave than the phone rang → en cuanto se marchó, sonó el teléfono

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than [ðæn, ðən] conj → que;

(with numerals);

more than 10/once → plus de 10/d'une fois;

I have more/less than you → j'en ai plus/moins que toi;

she has more apples than pears → elle a plus de pommes que de poires;

it is better to phone than to write → il vaut mieux téléphoner (plutôt) qu'écrire;

she is older than you think → elle est plus âgée que tu le crois;

no sooner did he leave than the phone rang → il venait de partir quand le téléphone a sonné

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than [ðæn] conj (in comparisons) → als;

more than 10 → mehr als 10;

she is older than you think → sie ist älter, als Sie denken;

more than once → mehr als einmal

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than [ðæn, ðən] conj → che;

(with numerals, pronouns, proper names): more than 10/me/Maria → più di 10/me/Maria;

you know her better than I do → la conosce meglio di me or di quanto non la conosca io;

she has more apples than pears → ha più mele che pere;

it is better to phone than to write → è meglio telefonare che scrivere;

no sooner did he leave than the phone rang → non appena uscì il telefono suonò