"A formiga tem menos de dez centímetros."

Translation: The ant is less than ten centimeters long.

[bcsteve]

I would sure hope so, I don't ever want to see an ant that is MORE than ten centimeters long...

[bcouch]

Is 'long' necessary here?

[Lingodingle]

If I were asked, "How long is the ant?", then I would just reply, "Ten centimeters.". Adding the "long" clarifies the sentence when it is isolated, like here. The problem I am having is whether I should translate what is written in Portuguese or modify it by throwing extra words like "long" in this sentence, or in a previous one, "five years (old).". Are we trying to translate what is given or polish it up into a dynamic translation? The grading can't distinguish all the possibly correct answers in how we express ourselves so I try for the simplest form. We need to know the philosophy of translation that is being used, if there is any.

[Frencesca]

I would omit -long- from this translation: it since it also could be -wide- -tall-, -thick- -in diameter-, and what have you.

[ChrisGull]

Although, I inferred from another thread that when unspecified in Portuguese, it's about length.

[Libor]

good point lingodingo .. well, the 'simple' form is usually right here...

[Coayuco]

I left it out because I didn't think they would accept "extra" words and they accepted it.

[emeyr]

I think that it sounds more natural to include "long".

[reno300]

Why would we use "menos de dez" here instead of "menos que dez"? I seem to remember learning than=que.

[Danmoller]

Both options are fine.

"De" can be used when it's about numbers.

But "que" is used in comparisons, while "de" is not. Comparisons like "i have less/more than you (have)".

Eu tenho menos/mais que você (right)

Eu tenho menos/mais de você (wrong, unless you mean you are losing/incorporating the features or characteristics of that person in you) - This would mean "I have less/more of/from you".

Eu tenho menos/mais do que você (right)

[jordan-brough]

Can this also mean "Ants are less than ten centimeters" or would that be "As formigas têm"?

[Danmoller]

Yes, "(as) formigas têm"

[CarloGamag1]

The ant is shorter than ten centimeters was not accepted. Long and shorter are theopposit of one another, so I think that since long was used shorter should be accepted!