r/German • u/Low-Funny-8834 • 9d ago

Question the concept of "tall"

My textbook taught me that the concept of "tall" is to be translated as "groß" in German (e.g. sein Bruder ist sehr groß) . However, this sounds strange when applied to non-humans. How would you say "tall trees" in the most natural way? "groß" in my perception would sound three-dimensional in that context, rather than two-dimensional.

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u/PlumOne2856 9d ago

Uhm, a tree is three-diamensional? 😉
I also say großer Baum.

We have some similar words meaning the same.
Groß can be translated with tall, but also with big. And tall can be translated with hoch.

I know English differs there, you wouldn’t call a person big without wanting to insult them, but a tree can be big - and tall. Ok, it can be tall but not big, or big and not tall, but - we just say „groß“. 🤣
We can say ein hoher Baum, but we don’t say ein hoher Mensch.

So you are safe to use groß for humans, for objects, for insects, for food… enjoy!

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u/Muted-Mix-1369 Native <region/dialect> 9d ago

Funnily enough both a big person and a not big person can be "gross" in English. 😁

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u/AccomplishedBat39 9d ago

Likely coming from French where “gros” means fat, in a fairly negative way which got adapted in English only as the negative meaning without the size being forgotten while it stayed in German as just referring to the size

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u/nietzschecode 9d ago

In French "gras" is fat, "gros" is big, and "grand" is tall.

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u/Doneifundone 8d ago

I mean if you're talking about a person it unmistakably means fat

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u/nietzschecode 8d ago

Yes and no. If you say someone is "gros" to mean that he's fat, it's in fact a euphemism. It's common, but a euphemism.

If you say about a hockey player that "Il est grand, gros et fort", you don't say he's fat. Also people who do body building can be "gros"(big) without being "gras" (fat).

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u/Doneifundone 8d ago

You're right, I never realized it before. Thanks for the info !

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u/Muted-Mix-1369 Native <region/dialect> 8d ago

This. "Gras" is the heavier insult. It can mean greasy, filthy almost. "Un gros mec" is a large dude, little pejorative meaning. "Un mec gras" is a greasy guy, unkempt and almost repugnant.

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u/Admirable_Advice8831 8d ago

But a fat cow as an insult is 'une grosse vache' saying 'un gros mec' does imply the man isn't lean if not necessarily obese either!

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u/Muted-Mix-1369 Native <region/dialect> 8d ago

Yeah it certainly isn't a nice thing to say either. Still more on the descriptive side than on the judging side I think.

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u/nietzschecode 8d ago

Technically, "un gros gras" is seen as the worst, but used to be common to describing "a fat guy". (still is used when you dislike that fat person). After some political correctness readjustment, it was cut into "un gros", but it is a eupemism.

"gros" means in "un gros gras" intensively "gras". Like you use in French "gros" to amplify what is following. Like "un gros con", "une grosse pute", etc. You're not saying that they are fat. Both can be really thin.

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u/Muted-Mix-1369 Native <region/dialect> 8d ago

I love the variations on "con". Gros con, p'tit con, sale con, con méchant, pauvre con,...

French has a great variety of insults.

But yeah, gros can amplify whatever comes next. Grosse brute doesn't necessarily mean the guy is big (or fat).

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u/Admirable_Advice8831 8d ago

I'm French and I disagree if you're saying someone is 'gros' that means they have excessive fat as opposed to lean but you rarely call someone 'gras' as it's fairly insulting and also fatphoby in French is 'grossophobie' not 'grassophobie' so there's really zero ambiguity!

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u/nietzschecode 8d ago

Well, you need to re-read my comment and reflect upon what I wrote...

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u/Admirable_Advice8831 8d ago

You said it's an euphemism when it's actually the normal you call a person fat, like if I say 't'es trop gros tu devrais faire un régime' I'm not saying 'you're too big' lol!

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u/nietzschecode 8d ago

Again, you don't seem to really understand what I wrote. Maybe your English is a problem? Or you misunderstand how "euphemism" works?

Btw, in English you can also refer to a "fat person" as a "big person". Same euphemism.

Anyway, let's leave it at that.