grande
/ˈɡɾande/
The Spanish word grande means large in English.
grande is used to describe something that is large in size or extent.
Which one should you use?
While grande usually refers to physical size, the shortened form gran often shifts the meaning toward 'great' in terms of quality or importance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective grande becomes plural as grandes to agree with plural nouns. Additionally, when placed immediately before a singular noun, grande shortens to the form gran.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡɾande/
Did you know?
- When referring to a person's age, using grande can be a polite way to say someone is elderly, whereas viejo can sometimes sound too blunt.
- While grande means large, the diminutive form grandecito is often used by speakers to describe something that is 'moderately large' or to soften the description.
- In the phrase ¡Qué grande!, the word is often used as an exclamation of pride or admiration for someone's achievement, regardless of their physical size.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuándo vas a volver de Campo Grande?When will you come back from Campo Grande?This sentence shows how grande is used within a proper noun.Tatoeba #1618029 by alexmarcelo, translation #9273776 by Nylez
- ¡Qué casa más grande!What a big house!
- ¡Es una hamburguesa enorme!It's an enormous burger!
- El árbol es grande y frondosoThe tree is big and leafy
- ¡Qué ojos tan grandes tienes!What big eyes you have!
- Esta es mi casa grandeThis is my big house
- ¡La montaña rusa es tremenda!The roller coaster is tremendous!
- Ese es un perro muy grande.That is a very large dog.
- Necesito un bolso más grande.I need a larger bag.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are looking at a new apartment.
- María¡Mira qué grande es este salón!Look how big this living room is!
- MateoSí, es un espacio muy bueno.Yes, it is a very good space.
- María¿Crees que la cocina es grande también?Do you think the kitchen is large too?
- MateoParece que es bastante amplia.It looks quite spacious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry grande, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
