grand

grand (e) [gʀɑ̃, gʀɑ̃d] adj (= haut) → tall (= gros, vaste, large); big, large (= long); long;

(sens abstraits) → great

adv grand ouvert → wide open;

un grand buveur → a heavy drinker;

un grand homme → a great man;

son grand frère → his big ou older brother;

avoir grand besoin de → to be in dire ou desperate need of;

il est grand temps de → it's high time to;

il est assez grand pour → he's big ou old enough to;

voir grand → to think big;

en grand → on a large scale;

au grand air → in the open (air);

les grands blessés/brûlés → the severely injured/burned;

de grand matin → at the crack of dawn;

grand écart → splits pl;

grand ensemble → housing scheme;

grand jour → broad daylight;

grand livre (Comm) → ledger;

grand magasin → department store;

grand malade → very sick person;

grand public → general public;

grande personne → grown-up;

grande surface → hypermarket, superstore;

grandes écoles → prestige university-level colleges with competitive entrance examinations;

grandes lignes (Rail) → main lines;

grandes vacances → summer holidays

grandes écoles

The grandes écoles are highly-respected institutes of higher education which train students for specific careers. Students who have spent two years after the 'baccalauréat' in the 'classes préparatoires' are recruited by competitive entry examination. The prestigious grandes écoles have a strong corporate identity and tend to furnish France with its intellectual, administrative and political élite.