In Spanish, gran and grande come from the same root but serve different roles: gran generally means "great" in a figurative sense and goes before a noun, while grande means "big" and normally appears after the noun. This distinction affects whether you highlight size or quality.
Gran
Use gran before a singular noun to praise someone or something as important, excellent, or notable rather than literally large. Think of gran as signaling "great" in terms of value or reputation.
Grande
Use grande after the noun to describe physical size or literal largeness. It can appear with singular or plural nouns and stays neutral about quality.
Examples
Summary
Remember: use gran before singular nouns for figurative "great" and grande after the noun for literal "big." Switching them can change meaning or sound odd.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025