What does it mean word for word?
In this context, genial means "great" or "brilliant" rather than the English sense of "genial" meaning friendly.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
qué genial is an informal phrase used in colloquial settings to express enthusiasm.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Depending on the region, other words can be used to express similar sentiments of being "great" or "cool": * In Mexico, you can use Padre for "cool", Chido/a for "great" or the slang expression A toda madre for "outstanding". * In Argentina, Barbaro/a means "great" and Re bueno/a means "really good". * In Spain, Fantástico/a is used to mean "fantastic". * The slang term Chévere can mean "cool" or "great". * The word Tremendo can be used informally to mean "tremendous" or "great".
How does it change in a sentence?
As an exclamatory phrase, qué genial can be used as a standalone reaction and does not require a subject or a verb.
Did you know?
- In Argentina, bárbaro can mean 'great', despite the word normally meaning 'barbaric' or 'uncivilized'. This is an example of a word taking on a positive meaning through irony.
- The Mexican slang a toda madre is a very high compliment for something great, even though it mentions 'mother'.
- The word genial traces back to the Latin 'genius', which originally referred to a 'guardian spirit' rather than intelligence.
Examples in context
- El discurso del presidente fue realmente estupendo.The president's speech was truly excellent.
- ¡La fiesta de anoche estuvo genial!Last night's party was awesome!
- ¡Ese concierto estuvo chévere!That concert was cool!
- ¡Qué película tan tremenda!What a tremendous movie!
- ¡Qué genial es tu idea!How great your idea is!
- ¡Qué genial que vengas hoy!How great that you are coming today!
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about María's new job.
- Mateo¿Cómo va tu nuevo trabajo?How is your new job going?
- María¡Es fantástico, me encanta!It is fantastic, I love it!
- Mateo¡Qué genial, María!How great, María!
- MaríaGracias, Mateo.Thanks, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genial, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
