большой человек
bol'shoy chelovek
The English phrase "big man" translates to Russian as большой человек (bol'shoy chelovek).
Which one should you use?
If you want to refer to a "big guy" in an informal setting, you would use Большой парень. In formal contexts, the term крупный мужчина is used to say "big man".
How do you pronounce it?
bol'shoy chelovek
Did you know?
- While большой человек can mean someone physically large, it is most often used as an idiom for a 'VIP' or someone with significant social power and influence.
- The adjective большой is a back-formation from бо́льший, which originally meant 'larger' or 'greater' in a comparative sense.
- If you call someone a большой человек in a sarcastic tone, it can be a cutting way to mock their inflated sense of self-importance.
Examples in context
- Он большой человек в компании.He is a big man in the company.Tatoeba #3542983 by marafon, translation #294635 by Zifre
- Он большой человек в журналистике.He is a big man in journalism.Tatoeba #3338765 by Lenin_1917, translation #290128 by CK
- Возьмите этого крупного мужчину в команду.Take this big man on board.
- Смотри, там идёт большой парень!Look, there goes a big guy!
- Это очень большой человек в политике.Eto ochen' bol'shoy chelovek v politike.He is a very big man in politics.
Example conversation
Anastasia and Alexander are discussing a new boss.
- Анастасия AnastasiaТы слышал о нашем новом директоре?Ty slyshal o nashem novom direktore?Have you heard about our new director?
- Александр AleksandrДа, он очень большой человек в этой индустрии.Da, on ochen' bol'shoy chelovek v etoy industrii.Yes, he is a very big man in this industry.
- Анастасия AnastasiaНадеюсь, он будет добрым руководителем.Nadeyus', on budet dobrym rukovoditelem.I hope he will be a kind leader.
- Александр AleksandrДумаю, он профессионал своего дела.Dumayu, on professional professional svoego dela.I think he is a professional in his field.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries большой, человек, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
