Published February 16, 2025 • Updated July 12, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Gros, grosse — Meaning and Pronunciation
Gros means “big,” “large” or “fat” in French, depending on the context, and its feminine form is grosse. It usually comes before the noun, as in un gros chien (a big dog) or une grosse erreur (a big mistake). Gros is a false cognate and does not mean “gross” in the sense of “disgusting.” The French word for “disgusting” is dégoûtant.
IPA pronunciation of gros is /ɡʁo/ and grosse is /ɡʁos/ (IPA), which sound like “groh” and “grohss.”
Example Sentences
Donnez-moi le plus gros morceau de gâteau, s’il vous plaît !
Give me the biggest piece of cake, please!
J’adore ce gros chien. Il est trop mignon !
I love this big dog. He’s very cute!
Claudine était une grosse femme avant de suivre un régime.
Claudine was a fat woman before going on a diet.
Arrête de dire les gros mots. Tu es grossier !
Stop swearing! You are being rude!
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👉 Next lesson: Gros bisous — fun expression meanings “hugs and kisses”.
Related words and expressions
- grossir — to gain weight; to make bigger
- un gros mot — a swear word
- en gros — basically; roughly; broadly speaking
- un gros plan — a close-up
- le gros lot — the jackpot
- avoir la grosse tête — to be conceited
- gros bisous — lots of kisses
- faire le gros dos — to keep a low profile; to wait for trouble to pass
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