Spanish · Emotions & Descriptions

"Tall" in Spanish: alto/a

alto/a

Say it: AHL-toh / AHL-tahadjective/ˈal.to/, /ˈal.ta/

Tall in Spanish is alto or alta. Él es alto. Ella es alta. Plurals: altos and altas. Alto also means high for places.

Meeting someone

Tu hermano es muy alto.
Your brother is very tall.
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How to pronounce alto/a

Say it

AHL-toh / AHL-tah

/ˈal.to/, /ˈal.ta/

AHL-toh / AHL-tah. Stress AHL. Clear a; soft t.

"Tall" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
altotall / high (masc.)

People and buildings.

altatall / high (fem.)

Feminine form.

más alto/ataller / higher

Comparison.

edificio altotall building

Height of structures.

How to use alto/a in real life

  1. 1Meeting someone

    Tu hermano es muy alto.

    Your brother is very tall.

    Alto with hermano.

  2. 2About a friend

    Lucía es más alta que yo.

    Lucía is taller than me.

    Alta agrees with Lucía.

  3. 3City walk

    Ese edificio es alto.

    That building is tall.

    Alto with edificio.

Mistakes English speakers make with alto/a

Incorrect: Ella es alto.

Correct: Ella es alta.

Agree gender: alta with ella.

Incorrect: La torre es alto.

Correct: La torre es alta.

Agree gender: alta with torre.

Good to know

Alto/a covers tall people and high places in Latin American Spanish. For volume, habla alto means speak loudly. Context separates height talk from volume talk.

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Finding a friend in a crowd

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Ves a Pablo? Es muy alto.

    Do you see Pablo? He's very tall.

  2. You

    Sí. El más alto con gorra roja.

    Yes. The tallest one with a red cap.

  3. ChatPal

    Exacto. Ser alto ayuda en eventos.

    Exactly. Being tall helps at events.

  4. You

    Vamos hacia él ahora.

    Let's go toward him now.

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"Tall" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Tall" in Spanish

How does gender work?

Alto (m.), alta (f.), plurals altos / altas.

Tall person or high place?

Both use alto/a. Context makes the meaning clear.

How do I say taller?

Más alto / más alta.

Does alto mean loud?

Habla alto can mean speak loudly. For noisy places, ruidoso/a is clearer.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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