Speak like a local: Mais ou menos

You run into a friend you have not seen in a while and he asks how you have been. Things have not been bad, but they have not been great either. Work is busy, you are a bit tired, nothing worth complaining about. Instead of pretending everything is perfect, you tilt your hand from side to side and say 'mais ou menos'.

What it means

The literal translation of 'mais ou menos' is 'more or less'. It has two everyday uses. The first is to say so-so, when something is neither good nor bad. The second is to say roughly, or about, when you are giving an approximate amount. Portuguese people use it constantly in both senses, often with a small hand gesture tilting from side to side.

Who you can say it to

You can use this phrase with anyone, in any normal situation. If a friend asks how you are feeling, you can answer 'mais ou menos' to say you are okay but not great. If someone asks whether you enjoyed a film, you say it to show you were not impressed. If a shopkeeper asks how many you want, you can say 'mais ou menos dez' to mean about ten. It works in casual chat and in practical, everyday questions alike.

Words it travels with

When it means roughly, this phrase sits right before a number or amount. People say 'mais ou menos uma hora' for about an hour, or 'mais ou menos vinte euros' for around twenty euros. When it means so-so, it often stands alone as a full answer. You will also hear it shortened in fast speech to 'mais o menos', with the 'ou' almost disappearing, which is completely normal.

More ways to say so-so

If you want to say things are neither here nor there, this is a common one. You use it when someone asks how something was and your honest answer is just okay, like a meal or a film that did not really stand out.

• 😐 Assim assim. (So-so.)

If you are doing alright but nothing special, reach for this. People say it when someone asks how they are and life is just ticking along, no big news, getting through the days.

• 🤷 Vou andando. (Getting by.)

If you want to give an approximate amount in a slightly more formal way, use this. It fits better in writing or in a careful spoken answer, for example telling someone a meeting will last approximately two hours.

• 📏 Aproximadamente. (Approximately.)

A detail most foreigners miss is how much the hand does the talking. When a Portuguese person says 'mais ou menos' about how they feel, they usually rock a flat hand from side to side at the same time. If you only catch the gesture and not the words, you still understand: things are middling. Picking up that small movement is part of sounding like a local, not just translating one.