The word "grand" generally means large. People who speak Spanish will recognize this, but in English there are a few other ways to use the word. One involves a description of money. A grand is equal to one thousand dollars. (This is a popular yet informal way to talk about money.)
He made fifty grand last year. (He made $50,000.)
I offered ten grand for the car. (I offered $10,000.)
It’s going to cost a couple grand to get the roof fixed. (a couple grand = $2000)
He dropped five grand on some jewelry for his wife. (five grand = $5000)
When a store opens its doors for the first time, there is a grand opening (This may or may not be held on the first day of business):
A grand opening celebration last weekend at a furniture store featured live music and food.
The ballpark will be giving away free t-shirts to the first 500 people during the grand opening.
Even though the store has been open for a month, a grand opening sale is being held on Friday.
The word "grand" often appears in titles of places that are famous or large:
Diana visited the Grand Canyon last year.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
The Grand Casino is a good place to see live performances.
You might hear older people use the word "grand" to describe something that is really nice or wonderful. (Young people will not use the word in this way.)
Our trip to Bermuda was absolutely grand.
We had a grand old time fishing last weekend.
That’s just grand!
When eating out at Latino-inspired businesses, the word "grande" might be used.
I’m going to order the taco grande. (the large taco)
If you order the grande, it’s large enough to feed more than one person.
