Demais vs. De Mais: Too Much or Something Extra — Practice
A guided practice lesson with English explanations, Brazilian Portuguese examples, and answers you can check. Read the examples, recall the meaning, then say a version of your own.
Write demais for ‘too much’ or ‘the remaining people’
Demais is one word when it works as an adverb meaning ‘too much’ or ‘excessively’: trabalhar demais, falar demais. It can also be a pronoun or adjective meaning ‘the others’ or ‘the remaining’: os demais alunos (the other students). The role in the sentence helps you choose.
A practical test for the adverb is to replace it with excessivamente. For the plural noun use, see whether demais points to the rest of a group.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Você está trabalhando demais esta semana. | You’re working too much this week. |
| Os demais convidados chegam às oito. | The other guests arrive at eight. |
| Não se preocupe demais com um erro pequeno. | Don ’t worry too much about a small mistake. |
Use de mais for an amount beyond what is needed
De mais is a preposition plus the word mais. It can mark an amount beyond what is needed, often in contrast with de menos, or appear in the phrase nada de mais (nothing special). In everyday Portuguese, writers frequently prefer the single-word adverb demais when they mean ‘too much.’
Read the full phrase before deciding. In ‘não há nada de mais,’ the words are separate; in ‘você falou demais,’ the one-word adverb describes how much someone spoke.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Não há nada de mais nessa pergunta. | There is nothing unusual about that question. |
| A receita pede açúcar de mais e sal de menos. | The recipe calls for too much sugar and too little salt. |
| Ele colocou sal demais na sopa. | He put too much salt in the soup. |
Remember: Use demais for ‘too much’ as an adverb and for ‘the others.’ Keep de mais separate in expressions such as nada de mais and in an explicit de mais/de menos contrast.
Check your understanding
Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.
Recall the Portuguese, then say it
Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.
You’re working too much this week.
Show a Portuguese answer
Você está trabalhando demais esta semana.
The other guests arrive at eight.
Show a Portuguese answer
Os demais convidados chegam às oito.
Don’t worry too much about a small mistake.
Show a Portuguese answer
Não se preocupe demais com um erro pequeno.
There is nothing unusual about that question.
Show a Portuguese answer
Não há nada de mais nessa pergunta.
The recipe calls for too much sugar and too little salt.
Show a Portuguese answer
A receita pede açúcar de mais e sal de menos.
He put too much salt in the soup.
Show a Portuguese answer
Ele colocou sal demais na sopa.
Make the phrase useful to you
Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.
Use demais for ‘too much’ as an adverb and for ‘the others.’ Keep de mais separate in expressions such as nada de mais and in an explicit de mais/de menos contrast.
Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.
Sources and your next lesson
This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Demais vs. De Mais: Too Much or Something Extra? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.
To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.
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