Saying MOST in Portuguese

a-maioria

Saying most in Portuguese isn't that obvious. The confusion comes from the fact that in English, we use most to talk about two different things:

- NUMBER: Most of time it's rainy.
- DEGREE: I like rainy weather the most.

In Portuguese these are expressed in different ways, depending on the context.

When talking about the NUMBER of something, use MAIORIA. Like this:

A maioria das pessoas vão de ônibus. ➜ Most people take the bus.
A maioria dos homens jogam futebol. ➜ Most men here play soccer.

*NOTICE that a maioria is a feminine word. It stands by itself and does not change gender even if you say "A maioria das mulheres ..." or, "A maioria dos homens..."

A maioria do tempo estou no trabalho. ➜ Most of the time I'm at work.

When talking about DEGREE of something there are more options. Let's look at some examples:

Eu gosto mais de você. ➜ I like you the most.
Ele é ao mais qualificado para o serviço. ➜ He's the most qualified for the job.
Sobre tudo, adoro o clima aqui. ➜ Most of all, I like the weather here.

Examples of mais to express more can be found in this other post.