How to Say "Big" in Portuguese

grande

/ˈɡɾɐ̃.d͡ʒi/

The English phrase "big" is translated into Portuguese as grande.

grande is used to describe something of a great size. It is also used to mean "great" in terms of quality or importance.

Meaning: of a great size (adj)

Which one should you use?

While grande means 'big' in size, it is also used to mean 'great' in terms of importance or quality.

The adjective grande becomes grandes in the plural to agree with the noun.

The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA is /ˈɡɾɐ̃.dʒi/.

The term grande can also be used in the phrase grande coisa to sarcastically mean 'no big deal' or 'nothing special'.
While grande means 'big', Portuguese speakers often use the diminutive grandinho to describe something that is 'surprisingly big' or 'quite large' in a cute or ironic way.
The word grande is a cognate of the English 'grand', sharing the same Latin root 'grandis'.

O céu é grande.
The sky is big.
This sentence is useful for describing the sky using grande.
Tatoeba #1487144 by alexmarcelo, translation #1487079 by pyrachi
O sol é grande.
The sun is big.
This sentence is useful for describing the sun using grande.
Tatoeba #4375626 by ajdavidl, translation #1120802 by cntrational
O gato é grande.
The cat is big.
This sentence is useful for describing a cat using grande.
Tatoeba #1531462 by alexmarcelo, translation #8243220 by shekitten
O prédio tem uma sala grande.
The building has a big room.
O quadro é grande e impressionante.
The painting is big and impressive.
O projeto demanda um esforço gigantesco.
The project requires a big/gigantic effort.
A planta da fábrica é gigantesca.
The factory's layout is big/gigantic.
Essa ideia é muito grande, não vai dar certo.
This idea is too big, it won't work.
Meu cachorro cresceu e está enorme!
My dog grew up and is huge now!
A fila para entrar no show era enorme.
The line to enter the concert was massive.
Que grandão ficou o seu carro novo!
Your new car became really big!
A pizza do lugar é grandona, vem com bastante recheio.
The pizza from that place is big, it comes with a lot of toppings.
684 more sentences on Tatoeba

Mariana and Rodrigo are looking at a house for sale.

Sources

Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries grande, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries grande, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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