vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Grande" is an adjective which is often translated as "big", and "llegar" is an intransitive verb which is often translated as "to arrive". Learn more about the difference between "grande" and "llegar" below.
grande(
grahn
-
deh
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (size)
3. (age)
b. older
La nueva profesora de inglés es una mujer grande.The new English teacher is an older woman.
c. big (especially when spoken to a child)
Ya eres grande, Anita. Te puedes atar los zapatos tú solita.You're big now, Anita. You can tie your shoes yourself.
4. (quantity)
a. large
Un gran número de personas se reunió en las calles para festejar.A large number of people gathered in the streets to celebrate.
5. (importance)
a. great
Es un asunto de gran importancia para la nación.It's a matter of great importance for the nation.
b. big
Los líderes del mundo se juntan hoy para discutir las grandes preguntas del cambio climático.The leaders of the world are meeting today to discuss the big questions associated with climate change.
6. (intensity)
7. (colloquial) (fantastic) (Spain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Spain
This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
8. (colloquial) (adult)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. grown-up (colloquial)
Hay una mesa para los grandes y otra para los niños.There's a table for the grown-ups and another one for the children.
a. big name
Nadal es uno de los más grandes del tenis mundial.Nadal is one of the biggest names in world tennis.
b. major player
La empresa de Petrini es una de las grandes del sector textil.Petrini's company is one of the major players in the textile industry.
A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
a. jackpot
Gómez se sacó la grande y se fue a vivir a Punta del Este.Gómez won the jackpot and moved to Punta del Este.
llegar(
yeh
-
gahr
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
b. to get
Voy a llegar al restaurante un poco atrasado.I am going to get to the restaurant a little late.
f. to be there (moving away)
No saben decir a qué hora llegarán.They're not sure what time they'll be there.
a. to be enough
No me llega el sueldo, así que voy a pedir un aumento.My salary is not enough, so I'm going to ask for a raise.
d. to come to
Con la información provista, demuestra cómo llegaste a tu conclusión.With the information provided, please show how you came to your conclusion.
a. to reach
El precio del barril de Brent llegó a los 100 dólares.The price of a barrel of Brent reached 100 dollars.
a. to come to
Obama llegó a la Casa Blanca a principios de 2009.Obama came to the White House at the beginning of 2009.
a. to come up to
Después del aguacero, el agua me llegaba a la rodilla.The water came up to my knees after the downpour.
c. to touch
No me gustan las faldas que llegan hasta el piso.I don't like skirts that touch the floor.
a. to go as far as
El Camino de Santiago llega hasta el extremo oeste de España.The Camino de Santiago goes as far as the far west of Spain.
12. (to hold up)
a. to last
Ojalá estas llantas me lleguen otras cien mil millas.Hopefully, these tires will last me another hundred thousand miles.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Si llego a saber que tendrían nuevos episodios, no hubiera cancelado mi membresía.Had I known that they were going to have new episodes, I never would have cancelled my membership.
Si llegaras a ir al restaurante, tienes que probar la tarta de fresa.If you end up going to the restaurant, you must try the strawberry tart.
llegarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to go over to (moving away)
Llégate a casa de Rosa y pídele una taza de azúcar.Go over to Rosa's house and ask her for a cup of sugar.
b. to go round to (moving away) (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
Llégate a la tienda y cómprame leche, por favor.Go round to the shop and buy me some milk, please.
c. to come over to (approaching)
Llégate a casa de mi hermana mañana y nos pasamos un rato.Come over to my sister's house tomorrow and we can spend some time together.
e. to come around to (approaching)
¿Por qué no te llegas al estudio el sábado e improvisamos un rato?Why don't you come around to the studio on Saturday and we can jam a while?
f. to come round to (approaching) (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
Llégate al bar una tarde y tomamos algo.Come round to the bar one evening and we can have a drink.
a. to go up to
Me llegué a ella y le pedí un autógrafo.I went up to her and asked her for an autograph.
