gran sonrisa
/ɡɾan sonrisa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'big smile' is translated into Spanish as gran sonrisa.
The phrase describes a wide expression of happiness or pleasure on a person's face.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase gran sonrisa, the word gran is a shortened form of grande used before a noun to mean 'big' or 'great'.
Which one should you use?
By placing gran before the noun sonrisa, you emphasize the quality or greatness of the smile. In contrast, placing the full word grande after the noun (una sonrisa grande) would focus more on the actual physical size of the mouth opening.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because sonrisa is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine indefinite article una when referring to 'a big smile' as una gran sonrisa. When making the phrase plural, both the adjective and the noun must change: gran becomes grandes and sonrisa becomes sonrisas to form grandes sonrisas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɾan sonrisa/
Did you know?
- The root of sonrisa comes from the Latin subrīdeō, which literally means to laugh 'under' or slightly, reflecting a subtle movement of the lips.
- In Spanish, the word for 'smile' sonrisa is a feminine noun, but in early versions of the language, the masculine form sonriso was used instead.
- While gran is used to describe a 'great' smile, the same shortening pattern is found in the words san for 'saint' and primer for 'first'.
Examples in context
- Ella le puso una gran sonrisa.She gave him a big smile.This sentence shows how to use gran sonrisa to describe giving someone a smile.Tatoeba #1425729 by marcelostockle, translation #887130 by CK
- Ella me recibió con una gran sonrisa.She greeted me with a big smile.This sentence demonstrates how to use gran sonrisa when someone is greeted with a smile.Tatoeba #452950 by Shishir, translation #311901 by CK
- El niño siempre tenía una gran sonrisa en su rostro.The child always had a big smile on his face.
- La actriz saludó al público con una amplia sonrisa.The actress greeted the audience with a big smile.
- Cuando vio a su mejor amigo, le dio una sonrisa grande.When she saw her best friend, she gave him a big smile.
- La película era tan divertida que no pude evitar tener una sonrisota durante toda la proyección.The movie was so funny that I couldn't help but have a big smile throughout the screening.
- Él tiene una gran sonrisa.He has a big smile.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are talking about a new coworker.
- Sofía¿Cómo es el nuevo jefe?What is the new boss like?
- MateoEs muy amable y tiene una gran sonrisa.He is very kind and has a big smile.
- SofíaEso me alegra mucho.That makes me very happy.
- MateoSí, es un buen hombre.Yes, he is a good man.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gran, sonrisa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
