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Elle est grande et mince.

Elle est grande et mince.
She is tall and slim.
From Lesson 215:The body and appearance·French

Breakdown of Elle est grande et mince.

être
to be
elle
she
grand
big / tall
mince
thin, slim

Questions & Answers about Elle est grande et mince.

I thought grand meant 'big'. Why does it translate to 'tall' here?
When describing people, grand (or grande for a woman) usually means 'tall'. To say a person is 'big' or 'heavy', you would typically use gros or fort. For objects or places, grand usually translates to 'big' or 'large'.
Why doesn't mince change its spelling to agree with the feminine Elle?
Because the base (masculine) form of the adjective mince already ends in an unaccented -e. When an adjective naturally ends in an -e, it stays exactly the same in the feminine form. You don't add another -e.
Could I use maigre instead of mince to say she is slim?
You could, but it changes the tone. Mince translates to 'slim' or 'slender' and is generally a compliment. Maigre means 'thin' or 'skinny' and can carry a negative connotation, sometimes implying someone is unhealthily thin.

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