"Gran" y "grande"

Question

I'm not sure when we use "gran" and "grande".

Examples:

una fiesta grande y una gran fiesta

una casa grande y una gran casa

I supose that I should use "grande" after noun when I want to show that something is really big.

I supose that I should use "gran" when I want to show that something is special and in that case I must put "gran" before noun.

Am I right?

Answer 1

You are correct in saying that 'gran' goes before the noun and that 'grande' goes after. You are also correct in saying that 'gran' is used to say something is special, but it can also be used to express that something is great/huge/big in an "abstract" way - such as a great/amazing party or being in big trouble. 'Grande' is used exclusively to demonstrate that something is physically big/large, like an elephant, or a big theater room.

Thank You very much. Now I can see that my way of thinking was good in that case :) - Agnes1984, Nov 13, 2012

Answer 2

Check this out Gran y Grande