grand
/ɡʁɑ̃/
To say 'tall' in French, you use grand.
grand is a common way to say 'tall' when describing a person.
Meaning: of a person (adj)
Which one should you use?
While English distinguishes between 'tall' (height) and 'big' (size or importance), the French word grand can mean both 'tall' and 'big'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person being described. Use grande for a woman or girl, grands for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and grandes for a group of women or girls.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁɑ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using haut to describe a person's height. While haut means 'high', it is used for objects or positions like a high shelf, whereas grand is the correct word for people.
Did you know?
- While grand means 'tall', the phrase faire le grand is an idiomatic expression meaning to act important or to show off.
- The word grand is used to describe a 'tall' person, but it is also the standard word for 'big' in the sense of 'grown-up' when referring to children, as in un grand frère for an 'older brother'.
- The word grand has an unexpected cousin in the English word 'grandiose', as both stem from the same Latin root describing something large or great.
Examples in context
- Qu'il est grand !How tall he is!This sentence expresses excitement about how tall someone is using grand.Tatoeba #624700 by qdii, translation #292297 by sundown
- Que tu es grand !How tall you are!Tatoeba #1015250 by sacredceltic, translation #16442 by CM
- Tu es trop grand.You've grown so tall.This sentence describes someone who has grown tall using grand.Tatoeba #2508119 by Aiji, translation #52428 by CK
- Elle est très grande pour une femme.She is very tall for a woman.
- Il est grand.He is tall.
- Elle est grande.She is tall.
- Ils sont grands.They are tall.
- Elles sont grandes.They are tall. – for a group of females
- Luc est plus grand que Marc.Luc is taller than Marc.
- 301 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking about a new classmate.
- LucasEst-ce que le nouveau garçon est grand ?Is the new boy tall?
- LéaOui, il est vraiment très grand.Yes, he is really very tall.
- LucasIl doit jouer au basket, alors.He must play basketball, then.
- LéaC'est possible, Lucas.That's possible, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tall” translations and entries grand, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grand, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
