# "Great Big Nothing" In Spanish **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859 "2004-09-30T15:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pyrrhonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pyrrhonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyrrhonist)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/1 "2004-09-30T15:44:45Z")
It’s been over ten years since I studied Spanish, so I’d like a little help. I was never proficient in the first place. If I recall correctly, the Spanish adjective “grande” can mean “great” or “big” depending whither it on the right or left of the noun. What I’d like to say in Spanish is “The Great Big Nothing.” Tentatively, I’ve got this as “El Grande Nada Grande” which has a nice ring it to, IMHO. But is it correct and good Spanish? ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/2 "2004-09-30T16:02:30Z")
Colloquialisms such as that are difficult to translate literally. There are a number of ways to express that sentiment depending on the context. But “el grande nada grande” definitely doesn’t work. “No es la gran cosa” (no big deal or no big thing) may work. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/3 "2004-09-30T19:29:27Z")
> [@Pyrrhonist](#): > > It’s been over ten years since I studied Spanish, so I’d like a little help. I was never proficient in the first place. > > If I recall correctly, the Spanish adjective “grande” can mean “great” or “big” depending whither it on the right or left of the noun. > > What I’d like to say in Spanish is “The Great Big Nothing.” Tentatively, I’ve got this as “El Grande Nada Grande” which has a nice ring it to, IMHO. But is it correct and good Spanish? Gran grande nada! or Ninguna cosa grande! EZ ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/4 "2004-09-30T20:35:07Z")
How are you planning to use it? Maybe that would help, becuase it would probably change according to context. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/5 "2004-09-30T23:47:16Z")
How about El Gran Grande Nada. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/6 "2004-10-01T01:13:22Z")
What comes most naturally to me is El gran cero (the big zero). I was fluent in Castilian Spanish 10 years ago and am still fairly proficient. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-big-nothing-in-spanish/266859/7 "2004-10-01T02:51:41Z")
> [@Pyrrhonist](#): > > What I’d like to say in Spanish is “The Great Big Nothing.” Tentatively, I’ve got this as “El Grande Nada Grande” which has a nice ring it to, IMHO. But is it correct and good Spanish? I would translate it as, “La gran nada grande”.