grandir
/ɡʁɑ̃.diʁ/
To grow in French can be translated as grandir or croître.
Meaning: (intransitive) to become bigger (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| grandir | /ɡʁɑ̃.diʁ/ |
| croître | /kʁwatʁ/ /kʁwɑtʁ/ |
Grandir is used when referring to living beings increasing in size or age, such as a child growing up or a plant growing. It also means 'to grow up' (maturing) without needing an additional preposition. Croître is used for abstract or quantitative increases, such as an economy, a population or a feeling.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb grandir is composed of the adjective grand (big/tall) and the suffix -ir, literally meaning 'to make/become big'.
Which one should you use?
Use grandir when referring to living beings increasing in size or age. Use croître when referring to increases in quantity or intensity.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb croître is irregular. The third-person singular present indicative is croît.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁɑ̃.diʁ/
Did you know?
- The word croître is a close cousin to the English word 'crescent', as both describe the shape of something growing or expanding.
- English speakers might be confused by the spelling of croît, as the circumflex accent over the 'i' is a historical marker of the 's' that used to exist in the Old French word croist.
- French uses croître specifically for the 'waxing' phase of the moon, whereas décroître describes the 'waning' phase.
Examples in context
- Il te faut grandir.You need to grow up.This sentence uses grandir to express the need to grow up.Tatoeba #3645895 by sacredceltic, translation #2888086 by Hybrid
- Ça continue à croître.It continues to grow.This sentence uses croître to describe something that continues to grow.Tatoeba #4895948 by sacredceltic, translation #2903360 by maruchi13
- Je ne veux pas grandir.I don't want to grow up.This sentence uses grandir to express a refusal to grow up.Tatoeba #3710268 by GB3, translation #3709621 by CK
- Les enfants grandissent si vite !Children grow so fast!
- L'économie du pays continue de croître chaque année.The country's economy continues to grow every year.
- Les fleurs poussent rapidement dans ce climat favorable.The flowers grow quickly in this favorable climate.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a photo of their nephew.
- HugoIl va vite, ce petit garçon !This little boy is growing fast!
- ManonC'est vrai, il commence à grandir.It's true, he is starting to grow.
- HugoIl grandit tellement vite.He is growing so quickly.
- ManonLe temps passe trop vite.Time passes too quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grow” translations and entries grandir, croître, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
