When does one pronounce the 's' in plus?

Question

When a friend of mine asked why so many contractors worked in Dubai, I replied by saying (approximately):> À Dubai, on a plus d'argent.Meaning to say that one can earn more money in Dubai. I pronounced the "plus" in this phrase: /ply/ (rhymes with "stew" in English). My friend looked puzzled and after a while said:> Tu veux dire, on a plus d'argent!At least, that's what it sounded like to me. Except he pronounced the 's' in "plus": /plys/ (rhymes with "juice" in English).I thought the sounding of the 's' was optional. Clearly I'm wrong! :) Can someone please explain the difference between /ply/ and /plys/?

Answer 1

To keep it simple...

Plus de has more than one definition. It can mean "more than" (affirmative construction referring to quantity) or "no more/no longer" (negative construction referring to time or quantity).

When used to mean "more than," you pronounce the s:

-On a pluS d'argent à Dubai qu'à Tokyo. (There is more money in Dubai than in Tokyo)

-J'ai pluS de 20 paires de chaussures. (I have more than 20 pairs of shoes).

-Les Etats-Unis a pluS de 300.000.000 habitants. (The US has more than 300 million inhabitants)

But when plus de is used to mean "no more/no longer," you the s is silent.

-On n'a plus de lait dans le frigo. (We have no more milk in the fridge)

-Elle ne veut plus voyager au Canada. (She no longer wants to travel to Tokyo)

-Je ne peux plus! (I just can't anymore!)