el más grande
/el mas ɡɾande/from spelling rules
The English phrase "el mayor" in Spanish is el más grande.
The phrase is used to describe the person or thing that is larger in size or quantity than all others. When you want to emphasize that someone is the oldest among everyone, you can say el mayor de todos.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between size and age. Use el más grande to refer to the largest physical object, whereas el mayor is used for seniority or age. Use el mayor to refer to the oldest person in a group, whereas el más grande refers to physical size.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Latin America, el mayor can refer to the eldest sibling within a family.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on gender and number. To refer to a single female person, use la mayor. For a group of people that includes at least one male, use los mayores. If the group consists only of females, use las mayores.
How do you pronounce it?
/el mas ɡɾande/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, el más grande is used as an honorific for legendary figures in sports or art, implying they are the 'greatest of all time' rather than just the largest.
- In many Latin American cultures, the hermano mayor or hermana mayor carries a traditional social responsibility to act as a secondary parental figure to their younger siblings.
- While mayor means 'older', it is also the root of mayoría, which describes both a 'majority' in voting and the legal status of 'majority' or adulthood.
Examples in context
- Juan es el de mayor edad en el grupoJuan is the oldest in the group
- Mis hermanos mayores me cuidaban cuando era pequeñoMy older brothers used to take care of me when I was little
- Este es el más grande de la colección.This is the largest in the collection.
- El más grande de los edificios es de cristal.The largest of the buildings is made of glass.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are choosing a cake at a bakery.
- LucíaMira esos pasteles, Javier.Look at those cakes, Javier.
- JavierQuiero comprar el más grande.I want to buy the largest one.
- LucíaPero es muy caro.But it is very expensive.
- JavierNo importa, es para la fiesta.It doesn't matter, it's for the party.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
