grand
/ɡʁɑ̃/
The French word grand means great in size, and fine or imposing in appearance or impression.
grand is used to describe something that is great in size or has an imposing, impressive appearance. When describing people, grand refers to height (tall) rather than just physical size or importance.
Meaning: great in size, and fine or imposing in appearance or impression (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the adjective is grande. The masculine plural form of the adjective is grands and the feminine plural form is grandes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The French expression faire le grand jeu literally means 'to play the big game' but actually describes spending a lot of money to impress someone.
- In French, the word grand is used to describe the age of a person as being 'old', such as in the phrase un grand âge, whereas in English we would not use 'great' to describe seniority.
- The expression les grands can be used to refer to 'adults' or 'grown-ups' when speaking from a child's perspective.
Examples in context
- Sa grand-mère l'a terrassé.His grand-mother knocked him down.This sentence shows the use of grand in a compound noun.Tatoeba #860741 by U2FS, translation #861093 by U2FS
- Le grand piano n'a aucune pédale.The grand piano has no pedal at all.This sentence uses grand to describe a piano.Tatoeba #4154410 by Pat91, translation #4153599 by mervert1
- Veuillez me conduire au Grand Hôtel.Please take me to the Grand Hotel.This sentence uses Grand as part of a proper noun.Tatoeba #945525 by sacredceltic, translation #502611 by CN
- C'est un grand honneur de vous rencontrer.It's a great honor to meet you.
- La cathédrale était un édifice imposant .The cathedral was a grand structure.
- J'aime les grands espaces.I love wide spaces.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are standing in front of a new museum.
- NathanRegarde ce grand bâtiment !Look at this grand building!
- EmmaOui, il est vraiment impressionnant.Yes, it is truly impressive.
- NathanC'est un grand projet pour la ville.It is a grand project for the city.
- EmmaJe suis d'accord avec toi, Nathan.I agree with you, Nathan.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry grand, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
