¿está bien?
The English phrase "is this right?" is translated into Spanish as ¿está bien?
You use ¿está bien? to ask if a situation, an action or a state of being is correct or acceptable.
Which one should you use?
While ¿está bien? asks if something is okay or acceptable, use ¿es correcto? if you are specifically asking about the factual accuracy of a piece of information or a mathematical result. Additionally, ¿Así está bien? is used informally to mean "Is it fine like this?", whereas ¿Es esto correcto? is a formal way to say "Is this right?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Latin America, the phrase ¿Está bien de esta manera? is used instead of ¿Está bien así?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ¿está bien? uses the verb estar (to be in a state) rather than ser (to be an essential characteristic).
Did you know?
- If a speaker says está bien with a specific tone, it can be a sarcastic way to say 'fine' or 'whatever' while they are actually annoyed.
- While English speakers use 'right' to mean both 'correct' and 'a direction', a Spanish speaker would never use the word for 'right' (derecha) to answer ¿está bien?
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, está bien functions as a linguistic filler word, similar to how English speakers use 'okay' to pad the beginning or end of a sentence.
Examples in context
- Señor, ¿es correcto que debemos entregar el informe mañana?Sir, is it correct that we must deliver the report tomorrow?
- Oye, ¿está bien si llego un poco tarde a la reunión?Hey, is it okay if I arrive a little late to the meeting?
- He escrito esto, ¿está bien?I have written this, is it right?
- Si lo escribo así, ¿está bien?If I write it like this, is it right?
Example conversation
Mateo is showing Elena how he folded a piece of paper.
- MateoYa terminé, ¿está bien?I'm finished, is this right?
- ElenaNo, Mateo, tienes que doblarlo aquí.No, Mateo, you have to fold it here.
- Mateo¿Y ahora está bien?And is it right now?
- ElenaSí, ahora está perfecto.Yes, now it is perfect.
