grande
/ˈɡɾande/
The English word 'large' is translated into Spanish as grande.
grande is used to describe something of greater size. While it primarily refers to physical size, it can also mean 'great' or 'important' depending on the context and placement.
Meaning: of greater size (adj)
Which one should you use?
While grande refers to physical size, there are other ways to convey large-scale concepts. For example, the term vasto is a formal way to convey the concept of large, particularly when describing areas or territories.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word grande shortens to gran when placed immediately before a singular noun. The plural form of grande is grandes.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡɾande/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use grande to mean 'great' in a way that sounds unnatural if they are trying to describe a person's character without considering the nuance of size vs. importance.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, placing grande after a noun describes physical size, but placing the shortened gran before the noun often describes a person's character or prestige, as in un gran hombre.
- The phrase en grande is used as an idiom to describe doing something on a lavish or extravagant scale, similar to the English 'going big'.
- If a Spanish speaker says está grande, they might be commenting that a child has grown up quickly rather than saying the child is physically huge.
Examples in context
- Es una casa grande.This is a large house.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use grande to describe a house.Tatoeba #9969807 by Shishir, translation #3436660 by CK
- El perro es grande.The dog is large.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use grande to describe a dog.Tatoeba #12327473 by Serrot, translation #12328409 by Miktsoanit
- ¿Qué tan grande era?How large was it?This sentence is useful for asking about the size of something using grande.Tatoeba #3876787 by SrTortuga, translation #3823328 by CK
- un edificio grandeA large building
- un salón amplioA large hall
- un territorio vastoA vast territory
- una hamburguesa giganteA giant burger
- un problema enormeA huge problem
- Tengo una casa grande en la playa.I have a large house at the beach.
- ¡Vaya hamburguesa gigante! ¡No sé cómo comerla!Wow, what a giant burger! I don't know how to eat it!
- La habitación del hotel es amplia y cómoda.The hotel room is spacious and comfortable.
- ¡Ese camión es mega grande! No creo que pase por la calle estrecha.That truck is mega big! I don't think it'll fit through the narrow street.
- 189 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Javier are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- MaríaQuiero una pizza grande.I want a large pizza.
- JavierEso es demasiado para ti, María.That is too much for you, María.
- MaríaTengo mucha hambre hoy.I am very hungry today.
- JavierEstá bien, pidamos la grande.Alright, let's order the large one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “large” translations and entries grande, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
