hermoso
/eɾˈmoso/
The English word 'beautiful' can be translated into Spanish as hermoso, bello or bel.
Meaning: attractive (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| hermoso | /eɾˈmoso/ |
| bello | /ˈbeʝo/ |
| bel | /ˈbel/ |
These words are used to describe something or someone that is attractive.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In many Spanish-speaking countries, when describing a person's physical attractiveness, the colloquial term guapo (handsome/good-looking) or guapa is often more common than hermoso.
How does it change in a sentence?
All these adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. For example, the adjective hermoso becomes hermosa to match feminine nouns and hermosos to match masculine plural or mixed-gender groups. Similarly, the adjective bello follows standard agreement rules and becomes bellos for masculine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾˈmoso/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word bel can refer to a unit of sound level, named after Alexander Graham Bell.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, calling a child hermoso is common, while using it for a romantic partner can feel overly poetic or formal.
- In artistic contexts, bello is the preferred term for the 'Fine Arts' known as Bellas Artes.
Examples in context
- La vida es bella.Life is beautiful.This sentence uses bel to show how it describes life.Tatoeba #2936 by Shishir, translation #1829 by CK
- El agua es bella.The water is beautiful.This sentence uses bel to describe water.Tatoeba #5439765 by mferrer0000, translation #5395101 by Hybrid
- Es un día hermoso.It's a beautiful day.This sentence uses hermoso to describe a day.Tatoeba #1359807 by marcelostockle, translation #318150 by CK
- Señora García, usted es realmente hermosa.Mrs. Garcia, you are truly beautiful.
- Disculpe, señorita. Permítame decirle que es usted muy preciosa.Excuse me, miss. Allow me to tell you that you are very beautiful.
- ¡Hola, guapa! ¿Cómo estás?Hi, beautiful! How are you?
- Eres una chica muy bonita, ¿lo sabías?You are a very beautiful girl, did you know that?
- 362 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are looking at a painting in a museum.
- DanielMira este cuadro, es muy hermoso.Look at this painting, it is very beautiful.
- MaríaTienes razón, los colores son increíbles.You are right, the colors are incredible.
- DanielEl paisaje es realmente hermoso.The landscape is truly beautiful.
- MaríaEs mi obra favorita de aquí.It is my favorite work here.
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.
