qué feo
/ke feo/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "how ugly" is qué feo.
qué feo is used to describe something as ugly. It can also function as an impersonal exclamation meaning "how unpleasant" or "how bad" when referring to a situation or an action. If you want to express a stronger sense of disgust or unpleasantness, you can use the synonym qué horrible.
Which one should you use?
While qué feo is the default form, you may encounter other variations depending on the tone and context. For example, ¡Qué feíto/a eres! is an informal way to say "You're so ugly!" but carries an affectionate, playful tone. In contrast, ¡Qué feo/a estás! is used among friends to mean "You look so ugly!" If you wish to be more formal and use a softer tone to say "How unattractive he/she is", use Qué poco agraciado/a es.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use qué fea for feminine nouns, qué feos for masculine plural nouns and qué feas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke feo/
Did you know?
- In certain dialects, qué feo can be used sarcastically to describe something that is actually very attractive or impressive.
- The phrase qué poco agraciado literally means 'how little graced', framing ugliness as a lack of divine or natural grace rather than a physical flaw.
- The term feo actually displaced an older Spanish word, 'hedo', which specifically referred to things that were 'hideous' or 'unpleasant'.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué feo es ese color!How ugly that color is!
- Qué feo es el dibujo.How ugly the drawing is.
- ¡Qué feo es ese edificio viejo!How ugly that old building is!
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking at a piece of clothing.
- ElenaMira esta camisa, ¡qué feo es el color!Look at this shirt, how ugly the color is!
- JavierTienes razón, no me gusta nada.You are right, I don't like it at all.
- Elena¿Crees que a Javier le gustaría?Do you think Javier would like it?
- JavierNo, yo creo que es horrible.No, I think it is horrible.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries feo, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
