ELONIO
Log inSign up

Mi confidente es un gran hombre, pero no es un hombre grande.

Mi confidente es un gran hombre, pero no es un hombre grande.
My confidant is a great man, but he is not a big man.
From Lesson 342:Meaning-changing adjectives·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Mi confidente es un gran hombre, pero no es un hombre grande.

ser
to be
pero
but
no
no, not
un
a, an (masculine)
grande
big
mi
my
el hombre
the man
el confidente
the confidant

Questions & Answers about Mi confidente es un gran hombre, pero no es un hombre grande.

Why do we use gran hombre in the first half but hombre grande in the second?
This sentence perfectly shows how an adjective's position can change its meaning. When grande is placed before the noun (gran hombre), it takes on a figurative, subjective meaning: a "great" man. When placed after the noun (hombre grande), it keeps its literal, objective meaning: a physically "big" man.
Why is the word gran used instead of grande before the noun?
The adjective grande drops its final syllable to become gran whenever it comes directly before a singular noun. In the second half of the sentence, it stays as grande because it is placed after the noun.
Does grande only shorten to gran before masculine nouns?
It actually shortens before any singular noun, regardless of gender. If this sentence were about a woman, you would still say una gran mujer (a great woman) but una mujer grande (a big woman).
Why do we need the article un before gran hombre? Doesn't Spanish drop the article after the verb ser?
You generally drop the article after ser when stating someone's profession, religion, or nationality (like saying es médico). However, when the noun is modified by an adjective, like gran or grande in this sentence, the rule changes and you must include the indefinite article (un or una).
If this sentence were about a female confidant, would confidente change to confidenta?
No, confidente is an invariable noun, meaning the word itself doesn't change based on gender. You would just rely on surrounding words to show she is female, such as saying una confidente.

Learn Mi confidente es un gran hombre, pero no es un hombre grande and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →