Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| groß | /ɡʁoːs/ |
| lang | /laŋ(k)/ |
When describing the height of a person, use groß. While it specifically means tall in this context, it is also the word used for big in terms of size or importance.
Which one should you use?
The word groß covers both 'tall' (height) and 'big' (size/importance), whereas English distinguishes between the two. The word lang primarily translates to 'long', though it can occasionally refer to someone being tall in certain contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an attributive adjective before a feminine noun, groß takes the ending '-e', such as in eine große Frau (a tall woman). When used as an attributive adjective before a masculine noun in the accusative case, it takes the ending '-en', such as in einen großen Mann (a tall man).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁoːs/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use lang to describe a person's height. You should use groß instead to correctly describe human stature.
Did you know?
- In German, you can be groß geschrieben, which literally means 'written large', but it is used idiomatically to mean something is highly important or exaggerated.
- The word groß is used in the expression groß tun, which means to 'show off' or act important.
- When a child is told Du bist schon groß, it is often a compliment about their maturity and growth rather than just their height.
Examples in context
- Du bist zu groß.You've grown so tall.This sentence uses groß to note someone has grown tall.Tatoeba #2293337 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #52428 by CK
- Du bist so groß!You are so tall!This sentence uses groß to express surprise at how tall someone is.Tatoeba #12598002 by Waldelfe, translation #2967044 by shekitten
- Wie groß ist sie?How tall is she?This sentence uses groß to ask about a person's height.Tatoeba #3331551 by freddy1, translation #3301480 by CM
- Markus ist sehr hochgewachsen. Er ist bestimmt über 1,90 Meter groß.Markus is very tall. He must be over 1.90 meters in height.
- Meine Schwester ist echt groß. Sie ist bestimmt 1,80 Meter groß.My sister is really tall. She must be around 1.80 meters in height.
- 400 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are looking at a photo of a basketball player.
- LukasIst der Spieler sehr groß?Is the player very tall?
- SarahJa, er ist wirklich groß.Yes, he is really tall.
- LukasEr ist viel größer als ich.He is much taller than me.
- SarahDu bist aber auch nicht klein.But you are not small either.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tall” translations and entries groß, lang, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
