tamaño
/taˈmaɲo/masculine
The English phrase 'size' can be translated into Spanish as tamaño or talla.
Meaning: dimensions or magnitude of a thing (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tamaño | /taˈmaɲo/ | masculine |
| talla | /ˈtaʝa/ | feminine |
The word tamaño is used to describe the general magnitude or physical dimensions of objects, animals or abstract concepts. For a more formal way to refer to size in terms of dimensions, you can use dimensión. You can also use the phrases más grande que to say 'bigger than' or más pequeño que to say 'smaller than'.
Which one should you use?
Use tamaño when referring to the general magnitude or physical dimensions of an object. Use talla specifically when referring to sizes for clothing or shoes.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun tamaño becomes tamaños in its plural form. The feminine noun talla becomes tallas in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈmaɲo/
Did you know?
- The phrase a su talla is often used figuratively to mean 'up to the task' or 'equal in status'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, talla is used not only for clothes but also to refer to a person's height.
- The word tamaño is a linguistic contraction of the Latin phrase tam magnus, which literally means 'so big'.
Examples in context
- El tamaño no importa.Size does not matter.This sentence shows how to use tamaño to say that size does not matter.Tatoeba #599180 by Shishir, translation #597891 by qdii
- El tamaño sí importa.Size does matter.Tatoeba #1640108 by marcelostockle, translation #1640065 by Spamster
- ¿Qué talla calza Tom?What's Tom's shoe size?This sentence is useful for asking about a person's shoe size using talla.Tatoeba #5231032 by cueyayotl, translation #3737972 by CK
- El tamaño del coche es impresionante.The size of the car is impressive.
- La dimensión del edificio es asombrosa.The dimension of the building is astonishing.
- Ese pez tiene un tamaño impresionante.That fish has an impressive size.
- ¡Qué casa más grande!What a big house!
- La maleta es pequeña para todos mis libros.The suitcase is small for all my books.
- ¿Cuál es tu talla de camiseta?What is your shirt size?
- Necesitas balas de calibre 9mm.You need 9mm caliber bullets.
- El rascacielos es más alto que el árbol.The skyscraper is taller than the tree.
- una talla grandeA large size (clothing)
- un tamaño enormeAn enormous size
- 93 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are shopping for a new television.
- SofíaAlejandro, ¿qué te parece este televisor?Alejandro, what do you think of this television?
- AlejandroMe gusta, pero el tamaño es demasiado grande para la sala.I like it, but the size is too big for the living room.
- SofíaTienes razón, busquemos un tamaño más pequeño.You're right, let's look for a smaller size.
- AlejandroSí, algo más compacto sería mejor.Yes, something more compact would be better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “size” translations and entries tamaño, talla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries talla, tamaño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
