gran idea
/ɡɾan idea/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "great idea" is gran idea.
Gran idea is an expression used to show strong approval of a suggestion or a plan.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between gran idea and idea grande. While gran idea emphasizes the quality or brilliance of the idea, idea grande would more literally refer to the physical or conceptual scale of the idea.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective grande is shortened to gran when it is placed before a singular noun. However, when the phrase is pluralized to grandes ideas (great ideas), the adjective reverts to its full form to agree with the plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɾan idea/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, if you agree with a 'great idea' enthusiastically, you might respond with ¡De lujo!, which literally translates to 'of luxury'.
- The word idea comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'to see'. This reflects the ancient philosophical concept that a 'notion' is like a mental image or a vision.
- While gran is used for 'great' in gran idea, it is also the root of the English word 'grand'. Both share a common ancestor in the Latin word for large.
Examples in context
- Es una gran idea.That's a great idea.Tatoeba #530660 by Shishir, translation #42740 by CK
- Ha tenido usted una gran idea.You've had a great idea.Tatoeba #2270634 by Shishir, translation #2270633 by _undertoad
- Gran idea.Great idea.Tatoeba #4471163 by DarkHollow, translation #4471161 by DarkHollow
- Es una idea fantásticaIt's a fantastic idea
- Durante la reunión, Juan propuso una maravillosa idea para aumentar las ventas de la empresa.During the meeting, Juan suggested a marvelous idea to boost company sales.
- ¡Qué genialidad! Vamos a organizar una fiesta sorpresa para celebrar su cumpleaños.What a great idea! Let's throw a surprise party to celebrate their birthday.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing what to do for dinner.
- Elena¿Quieres pedir pizza esta noche?Do you want to order pizza tonight?
- Javier¡Es una gran idea, Elena!That's a great idea, Elena!
- ElenaPerfecto, yo llamo al restaurante.Perfect, I'll call the restaurant.
- JavierGracias, me parece un plan excelente.Thanks, it sounds like an excellent plan to me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gran, idea, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
