Menor or Menos ?

Hola David L.

Great question! This is one of those subtle yet important distinctions in Spanish vocabulary.

In the phrase "solutions with less impact", you're expressing a lower degree or intensity of impact.

In Spanish, when comparing qualities or abstract nouns like impacto, and especially in formal or academic writing, it's common to use "mayor" and "menor" instead of "más" or "menos".

So, "menor impacto" is idiomatic and more elegant, especially in C1/C2-level Spanish. It's equivalent to:

• "greater/less impact" → mayor/menor impacto

• "greater/less importance" → mayor/menor importancia

  Ofrece soluciones con menor impacto. (It offers solutions with less impact.)

While "menos" is grammatically correct (it literally means "less"), it's generally used before countable or measurable items or quantities: menos dinero, menos gente, menos problemas

But with abstract, uncountable concepts (like impacto, importancia, relevancia), "menor" is the preferred adjective. Using menos impacto is not technically wrong, but it sounds a bit too literal or less natural at higher levels.

Keep up the great work at C1 level!

Saludos,

Silvia

Great follow-up, David!

Yes, in a comparative structure like “X has less impact than Y”, menor impacto is still the correct and most natural choice, especially at C1/C2 level or in formal contexts.

You could say, for example, X tiene menor impacto que Y, which directly translates to “X has less impact than Y”. This structure is not only idiomatic but also widely used in academic and analytical writing. It works the same way as phrases like menor importancia que or menor relevancia que. In these cases, there's no need to use más or menos, since menor already carries the comparative meaning.

So yes, using menor impacto is absolutely appropriate—even in comparative sentences.

Great job exploring the finer details of advanced Spanish!

Hasta pronto

Silvia