pequeño, mediano y grande
/peˈkeɲo meˈdjano i ˈɡɾande/word by word
To say small, medium and large in Spanish, use pequeño, mediano y grande. These words describe the relative size of things, such as clothing or drink sizes.
pequeño, mediano y grande are the standard size words for describing objects from smallest to largest.
Which one should you use?
For sizes beyond these three, Minúsculo/a means tiny and Enorme means enormous. Promedio means average.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Latin America you may hear chiquito/a instead of the standard word for small.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjectives agree with the noun. For feminine nouns say pequeña, mediana y grande. For masculine plural nouns say pequeños, medianos y grandes and for feminine plural nouns pequeñas, medianas y grandes. The word grande has the same form for masculine and feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced /peˈkeɲo meˈdjano i ˈɡɾande/. Each word is stressed on the next to last syllable, and y sounds like the English ee.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- La casa tiene un jardín pequeño.The house has a small garden.
- El tamaño mediano es ideal para este tipo de caja.The medium size is perfect for this type of box.
- Quiero una pizza de tamaño medio, por favor.I want a medium-sized pizza, please.
- Un vaso pequeñoA small glass
- Una camisa grandeA large shirt
- Un perro medianoA medium-sized dog
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are at a clothing store.
- Alejandro¿Qué tallas tienes disponibles, María?What sizes do you have available, María?
- MaríaTengo pequeño, mediano y grande.I have small, medium, and large.
- AlejandroCreo que el mediano es mejor para mí.I think the medium is better for me.
- MaríaPerfecto, te traigo uno ahora mismo.Perfect, I will bring you one right now.
