alto
/ˈalto/
In Spanish, the word for tall (referring to a person) is alto.
alto is used to describe a person's height. While it is the standard word for a tall person, it can also mean 'high' when you are describing the height of objects or the pitch of sounds.
Meaning: of a person (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person or group being described. Use alta for a woman, altos for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and altas for a group consisting only of women.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈalto/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to change the ending of alto to match the gender of the person they are describing.
Did you know?
- A 'stop sign' in Spanish-speaking countries typically says ALTO or PARE depending on the region.
- In Spanish, the word alto is a 'learned borrowing' from Latin, meaning it was reintroduced by scholars rather than evolving naturally through common speech.
- Spanish uses alto to describe the volume of a sound, as in hablar alto meaning 'to speak loudly'.
Examples in context
- Él es muy alto.He is very tall.This sentence shows how to use alto to describe a man's height.Tatoeba #1129861 by marcelostockle, translation #292154 by CK
- Tu padre es alto.Your father is tall.This sentence demonstrates the use of alto to describe a father.Tatoeba #445794 by Shishir, translation #70957 by CK
- Su padre es alto.Her father is tall.This sentence illustrates how to use alto when describing her father.Tatoeba #788144 by Shishir, translation #788138 by CK
- Ella es muy altaShe is very tall.
- Él es de gran estaturaHe is tall.
- Mi amigo es altote, parece un gigante entre nosotrosMy friend is really tall, he looks like a giant among us.
- Él tiene patas de grulla, su altura es imponenteHe has crane's legs, his height is impressive.
- 175 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are talking about a new basketball player.
- Sofía¿Viste al nuevo jugador?Did you see the new player?
- JavierSí, él es muy alto.Yes, he is very tall.
- SofíaEs más alto que Javier.He is taller than Javier.
- JavierEso es verdad, Sofía.That is true, Sofía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tall” translations and entries alto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
