mi familia es grande
/mi familja es ɡɾande/from spelling rules
The English phrase "my family is big" is translated into Spanish as mi familia es grande.
This phrase is used to say that a person has many relatives.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase translates literally as "my family is big", where grande means "big" or "large" in size or scale.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word numerosa is more frequently used to reflect the size of a family.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because familia is a singular feminine noun, the verb es and the adjective grande must agree with it in number and gender.
Did you know?
- While grande means 'big', placing it before the noun in the phrase mi grande familia shifts the meaning from physical size to emotional importance or greatness.
- The word familia originally referred to the 'staff of slaves' or servants belonging to a household in ancient Rome.
- Spanish speakers often use the phrase familia numerosa to qualify for specific government benefits or discounts in Spain.
Examples in context
- Tengo cinco hermanos, cuatro tíos y más de veinte primos. Mi familia es grandota.I have five siblings, four uncles and aunts and more than twenty cousins. My family is big.
- Mi familia es grande y muy ruidosa.My family is big and very noisy.
- Es difícil organizarlo todo porque mi familia es grande.It is difficult to organize everything because my family is big.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about their relatives during a coffee break.
- Sofía¿Tienes muchos hermanos, Daniel?Do you have many siblings, Daniel?
- DanielNo, mi familia es pequeña.No, my family is small.
- Sofía¡Qué pena! Mi familia es grande.That's a shame! My family is big.
- Daniel¡Qué divertido debe ser!That must be fun!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, familia, grande, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
