duży
/ˈdu.ʐɘ/
The English word 'big' can be translated into Polish as duży or wielki.
Meaning: of a great size (adj)
Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA |
|---|---|
| duży | /ˈdu.ʐɘ/ /ˈdu.ʐɨ/ (Middle, Polish) |
| wielki | /ˈvjɛl.ki/ |
The word refers to something of a great size.
Which one should you use?
Use duży when referring to physical size or dimensions. In contrast, wielki often implies greatness, importance or being 'great' in a figurative sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective duży must change its ending to match the gender and case of the noun it modifies. It takes the ending duże when describing neuter singular nouns or non-masculine personal plural nouns. It uses the ending duzi when describing groups of people in the masculine personal plural. For example, use dużą for feminine accusative nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdu.ʐɘ/. The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The term wielkanoc for 'Easter' contains the root of wielki, as the holiday is literally 'the great night'.
- The Polish word duży is related to the Lithuanian word dide-lis, reflecting their shared Balto-Slavic linguistic roots.
- In Polish, the word wielki can be used in names to denote nobility or greatness, such as in the historical title Wielki used for kings like 'Kazimierz Wielki'.
Examples in context
- Tom ma duży dom.Tom has a big house.This sentence is useful for seeing the use of duży in a possessive context.Tatoeba #5989618 by jeedrek, translation #1025511 by CK
- Mój dom jest duży.My house is big.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use duży with the verb 'to be'.Tatoeba #348760 by zipangu, translation #250554 by Scott
- Ten dom jest duży.This house is big.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use duży with a demonstrative pronoun.Tatoeba #349440 by zipangu, translation #10555331 by sundown
- Widzę duży budynek za oknem.I see a big building through the window.
- Potrzebuję dużej pomocy w tym projekcie.I need big help with this project.
- To była spora operacja.It was a big operation.
- Mamy przed sobą spore wyzwanie.We have a big challenge ahead of us.
- Mam dla ciebie wielką niespodziankę!I have a big surprise for you!
- Idziemy na wielki koncert dzisiaj wieczorem.We're going to a big concert tonight.
- Ta pizza ma ogromne rozmiary!This pizza has enormous dimensions!
- To jest ogromny problem, który musimy rozwiązać.This is a big problem we need to solve.
- 104 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Piotr and Katarzyna are looking at a new apartment.
- PiotrTen salon jest bardzo duży.This living room is very big.
- KatarzynaTak, ma duży potencjał.Yes, it has great potential.
- PiotrCzy ten balkon też jest duży?Is this balcony big too?
- KatarzynaNie, jest dość mały.No, it is quite small.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries duży, wielki, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
