il più grande
/il ˈpju ˈɡran.de/word by word
The English phrase 'largest' is translated into Italian as il più grande.
The most common way to say 'largest' in Italian is più grande. It is used to describe a person or thing of the greatest size.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is constructed using the definite article, the adverb più (more) and the adjective grande (big/large), which translates literally to 'the most big'.
Which one should you use?
While il più grande is used to refer to physical size, the word maggiore is often used for abstract concepts like importance or age.
How does it change in a sentence?
The superlative form must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. For example, you would use la più grande for a feminine singular noun, i più grandi for a masculine plural noun and le più grandi for a feminine plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /il ˈpju ˈɡran.de/. It consists of 4 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The phrase il più grande is often used as a title for legendary figures, such as Muhammad Ali, who was called 'Il più grande'.
- The word più shares a prehistoric root with the English word 'many' through the Proto-Indo-European ancestor *pleh₁-.
- In many regional Italian dialects, the word più is pronounced with a doubled initial consonant, a linguistic feature called autogemination.
Examples in context
- Questo è il più grande.This is the largest.This sentence is useful for identifying something as the largest using il più grande.Tatoeba #6403529 by Guybrush88, translation #6357402 by CK
- La Cina è il più grande paese dell'Asia.China is the largest country in Asia.This sentence is useful for describing a country as the largest using il più grande.Tatoeba #384869 by Pharamp, translation #277495 by CK
- Il Sahara è il più grande deserto del mondo.The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.This sentence is useful for describing a desert as the largest using il più grande.Tatoeba #1072609 by Guybrush88, translation #54059 by CK
- Il tuo libro è il più grande del gruppo.Your book is the largest in the group.
- La città più grande d'Italia è Roma, ma Milano rimane la principale città economica.The largest city in Italy is Rome, but Milan remains the main economic city.
- Il parco di questa città è uno dei più grandi d'Europa.This city's park is one of the largest in Europe.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are looking at houses in a real estate brochure.
- ChiaraGuarda questa casa, è bellissima!Look at this house, it is beautiful!
- FrancescoSì, ma cerchiamo il più grande di tutti.Yes, but we are looking for the largest of all.
- ChiaraHai ragione, questa è troppo piccola.You are right, this one is too small.
- FrancescoControlliamo l'ultima pagina del catalogo.Let's check the last page of the catalog.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (il, più, grande) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grande, il, più, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
