alto
/ˈalto/
The Spanish word for tall is alto.
alto is the most standard and widely used term to describe a person as tall. It can also mean 'high' when referring to objects or 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 people being described. Use alta for a single 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?
Remember to change the ending of alto to match the gender of the person you are describing.
Did you know?
- If you see a road sign that says Alto, it does not mean 'tall' or 'high' but 'Stop'.
- The modern word alto was actually a learned borrowing from Latin, rather than a word that evolved naturally through everyday speech.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the phrase dar el alto is used to describe a police officer stopping a vehicle.
Examples in context
- Él es muy alto.He is very tall.This sentence shows how to use alto to say someone is very tall.Tatoeba #1129861 by marcelostockle, translation #292154 by CK
- Tu padre es alto.Your father is tall.This sentence uses alto to describe a father.Tatoeba #445794 by Shishir, translation #70957 by CK
- Su padre es alto.Her father is tall.This sentence uses alto to describe her father.Tatoeba #788144 by Shishir, translation #788138 by CK
- Ella es una mujer altaShe is a tall woman
- ¡Mira al chaparro alto!Look at the tall shorty!
- El chico tiene una estatura elevadaThe boy is tall
- Las chicas son altasThe girls are tall
- Los chicos son altosThe boys are tall
- María es más alta que sus amigasMaria is taller than her friends
- Mi abuelo era un hombre alto y distinguido.My grandfather was a tall and distinguished man.
- La modelo desfilaba con elegancia, destacando por su altura.The model walked with elegance, standing out due to her height.
- 175 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are looking at a photo of a basketball player.
- Lucía¿Es él muy alto?Is he very tall?
- JavierSí, es un hombre muy alto.Yes, he is a very tall man.
- LucíaParece un jugador de baloncesto.He looks like a basketball player.
- JavierExactamente, es muy alto.Exactly, he is very tall.
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.
