Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| hermoso | /eɾˈmoso/ |
| bello | /ˈbeʝo/ |
| bel | /ˈbel/ |
In Spanish, several words express the concept of being attractive. Hermoso is a versatile term frequently used to describe people's appearance, landscapes or the weather. While hermoso is common, you might also encounter lindo/linda, which also signifies beauty but is typically used in casual settings.
Which one should you use?
While both hermoso and bello mean beautiful, they carry different tones. Hermoso is more common in everyday speech to describe people, places or things. In contrast, bello often feels more poetic or literary in tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adjectives in Spanish must agree in both gender and number with the noun they describe. For example, use the feminine form hermosa for feminine nouns and the masculine plural form hermosos for masculine plural nouns. Similarly, the adjective bello uses the masculine plural form bellos to agree with masculine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾˈmoso/
Did you know?
- The word hermoso is a distant cousin of the English word 'form', as both derive from the Latin 'forma' meaning 'shape' or 'mold'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, hermoso can be used to describe a person's character or a kind gesture, not just their physical looks.
- Depending on the region, calling a man hermoso can sometimes be perceived as overly sentimental or feminine, whereas guapo is the standard for masculine attractiveness.
Examples in context
- La vida es bella.Life is beautiful.This sentence uses bel.Tatoeba #2936 by Shishir, translation #1829 by CK
- El agua es bella.The water is beautiful.Tatoeba #5439765 by mferrer0000, translation #5395101 by Hybrid
- Es un día hermoso.It's a beautiful day.This sentence uses hermoso.Tatoeba #1359807 by marcelostockle, translation #318150 by CK
- ¡Qué hermoso paisaje!What a beautiful landscape!
- Ella es una mujer hermosa.She is a beautiful woman.
- El cuadro es hermoso.The painting is beautiful.
- El vestido que llevas es bello.The dress you are wearing is beautiful.
- Tienes un auto lindo.You have a beautiful car.
- Esa chica es regia.That girl is beautiful.
- 362 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are visiting an art gallery.
- JavierMira este cuadro, es muy hermoso.Look at this painting, it is very beautiful.
- LucíaTienes razón, me encantan los colores.You are right, I love the colors.
- JavierEl paisaje es realmente hermoso.The landscape is truly beautiful.
- LucíaEs la mejor obra de la sala.It is the best work in the room.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations and entries hermoso, bello, bel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bel, bello, hermoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
