qué maravilla
/ke maɾabiʝa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "how wonderful" is translated into Spanish as qué maravilla.
You use qué maravilla to express genuine delight, surprise or admiration regarding a situation or piece of news.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of qué (what) and maravilla (marvel/wonder).
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, exclamatory phrases like this are typically enclosed between opening and closing exclamation marks (¡ !).
How do you pronounce it?
/ke maɾabiʝa/
Did you know?
- While qué maravilla expresses delight, saying es una maravilla can be used ironically in some Spanish-speaking regions to describe a situation that is actually a disaster.
- The word maravilla is actually a plural-turned-singular, stemming from the Late Latin word mīrābilia, which was the neuter plural for 'wonders'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you want to express that something is 'wonderful' in a more casual or slang way, you might use qué guay or qué chévere instead of the more classic qué maravilla.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué maravilla!How wonderful!
- ¡Qué maravilla es este paisaje!How wonderful this landscape is!
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are looking at a beautiful sunset at the beach.
- Javier¡Qué maravilla es este atardecer!How wonderful this sunset is!
- ElenaSí, Javier, es realmente hermoso.Yes, Javier, it is truly beautiful.
- JavierMe encanta venir aquí contigo.I love coming here with you.
- ElenaA mí también, es un momento especial.Me too, it is a special moment.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maravilla, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
