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grand and Spanish grande
In English
grand
magnificent / impressive
In Spanish
grande
de mucho tamaño
Spanish "grande" means: big / large
Why they get mixed up Spanish "grande" describes the size of something. English "grand" carries a connotation of majestic, impressive, or high quality. A "grand piano" isn't a big piano, it's a concert-style piano.
If you want to say...
- grandgrandioso
- biggrande
- a grandmil dólares (informal)
Examples
They stayed in a grand hotel.
Se hospedaron en un hotel grandioso.
It was a grand celebration.
Fue una celebración magnífica.
They live in a grand house on the hill.
Viven en una casa grandiosa en la colina.
It was a grand opening with fireworks.
Fue una gran inauguración con fuegos artificiales.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Es una grande idea.
Correct: Es una gran idea.
Grande becomes gran before a singular noun. Grand (impressive) is grandioso or magnífico.
Incorrect: Fue una grande inauguración con música.
Correct: Fue una gran inauguración con música.
Use gran before a singular noun.
Phrases you will hear
- a grand hotelun hotel imponente
- a grand openinguna gran inauguración
- a grand planun gran plan
- the Grand Canyonel Gran Cañón
- a big boxuna caja grande
- five grandcinco mil dólares
In a conversation
- A:
They live in a grand house.
Viven en una casa grandiosa.
- B:
Is it big?
¿Es grande?
- A:
Huge. It cost a million dollars.
Enorme. Costó un millón de dólares.
- B:
Wow. That's a lot of grand!
Vaya. ¡Son muchos miles!
Test yourself
"A grand house" is a house that is...
To remember it
Grand = magnificent/impressive. Big in size (Spanish "grande") = big/large.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "grande" mean?
Spanish "grande" means "big / large". It looks like the English "grand", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "grand" means "magnificent / impressive".
Does English "grand" mean the same as Spanish "grande"?
Spanish "grande" describes the size of something. English "grand" carries a connotation of majestic, impressive, or high quality. A "grand piano" isn't a big piano, it's a concert-style piano.