grandir

Grandir is a French verb meaning to grow, to increase in size or age, or to mature. It can describe physical growth (a child growing taller), aging over time, or figurative development (a project, a city, or an idea growing). It is an intransitive verb and generally does not take a direct object.

Etymology: Grandir comes from Old French grandir, itself related to the Latin grandis meaning large or great. The sense of becoming bigger or more developed is longstanding in Romance languages.

Usage and forms: Grandir is a regular -ir verb, and its core forms are as follows. In the present indicative: je grandis, tu grandis, il/elle grandit, nous grandissons, vous grandissez, ils/elles grandissent. In the imperfect: je grandissais, tu grandissais, il/elle grandissait, nous grandissions, vous grandissiez, ils/elles grandissaient. In the passé composé, the auxiliary is generally avoir: j'ai grandi, tu as grandi, il/elle a grandi, nous avons grandi, vous avez grandi, ils ont grandi. The present participle is grandissant, and the gerund is en grandissant. The imperative forms are: (tu) grandis, (nous) grandissons, (vous) grandissez.

Notes: Grandir is distinct from agrandir (to enlarge something) and grossir (to gain weight or to become larger in bulk). It also appears in figurative expressions such as grandir dans l’estime or grandir avec l’expérience, where growth is conceptual rather than physical.