Demais vs. De Mais: Too Much or Something Extra?
Demais often means ‘too much’ or ‘the others’; de mais can mean ‘more than needed’ and contrasts with de menos.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Write demais for ‘too much’ or ‘the remaining people’
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.
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.
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.
Put it into practice
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.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “The recipe calls for too much sugar and too little salt”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
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