muy alto
/mui alto/from spelling rules
The English phrase very tall is translated into Spanish as muy alto.
muy alto is used to describe a person or an object that has a great height. Note that while it refers to physical height, it can also be used to mean very high when referring to altitude or position.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The informal term altote(a) is mostly used in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use muy alta for feminine singular nouns, muy altos for masculine plural nouns and muy altas for feminine plural nouns.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When describing a woman or a feminine noun like la torre (the tower), remember to change the gender of the adjective to muy alta instead of using the masculine form.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the word alto is used as a command to mean 'stop', such as when a police officer signals a car.
- The word muy is a linguistic relative of the English word 'multitude'. Both descend from the Latin root multum, meaning 'much'.
- The suffix used in the slang term altote can sometimes imply that a person is not just tall, but also clumsy or oversized.
Examples in context
- Él es muy alto.He is very tall.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase muy alto with the subject 'Él'.Tatoeba #1129861 by marcelostockle, translation #292154 by CK
- Mi hermano es muy alto.My brother is very tall.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase muy alto with the subject 'Mi hermano'.Tatoeba #1249568 by marcelostockle, translation #237859 by CK
- El árbol creció muy alto.The tree grew very tall.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase muy alto with the subject 'El árbol'.Tatoeba #739310 by hayastan, translation #43798 by CK
- Juan es muy alto para su edad.Juan is very tall for his age.
- Laura es muy alta para su edad.Laura is very tall for her age.
- El jugador de baloncesto es sumamente alto.The basketball player is extremely tall.
- ¡Mira a esa chica! ¡Qué altota es!Look at that girl! She's so tall!
- Ese chico es enorme, ¡casi toca el techo!That boy is huge, he almost touches the ceiling!
- El rascacielos es altísimo.The skyscraper is very tall.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are looking at a skyscraper in the city.
- Mateo¿Viste ese edificio?Did you see that building?
- MaríaSí, es muy alto.Yes, it is very tall.
- MateoEs impresionante.It is impressive.
- MaríaEs increíble.It is incredible.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alto, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
