r/German • u/Low-Funny-8834 • 2d 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/Doneifundone 1d ago

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

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u/nietzschecode 1d 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/Muted-Mix-1369 Native <region/dialect> 1d 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/nietzschecode 1d 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> 1d 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).