se ve hermoso
/se be eɾmoso/from spelling rules
The phrase "it looks beautiful" in Spanish is translated as se ve hermoso.
The phrase is used to describe something that has a pleasing appearance. You can substitute hermoso with bello to express a similar meaning of beauty.
Which one should you use?
While se ve hermoso describes how something appears to the eye, es hermoso would mean "it is beautiful" as an inherent quality.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression Se ve chulo/a. is used to convey that something looks beautiful or cool.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the object being described, so use se ve hermosa if the object is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/se be eɾmoso/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, saying qué hermoso is used sarcastically to describe something ugly or a situation that has gone wrong, similar to saying 'how lovely' in English.
- The word hermoso originally began with an 'f' as fermoso in Old Spanish. This happened because many Latin words starting with 'f' saw that letter change to a silent 'h' over time.
- The verb ver used in se ve can also be used to mean 'to realize' or 'to see a point' in an argument, not just the act of physical sight.
Examples in context
- Ese vestido se ve bonitoThat dress looks beautiful
- ¡El pastel está precioso!The cake looks beautiful!
- El jardín se ve hermoso hoy.The garden looks beautiful today.
- Ese vestido se ve hermoso.That dress looks beautiful.
- El paisaje se ve hermoso desde aquí.The landscape looks beautiful from here.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are looking at a new painting in an art gallery.
- MaríaMira este cuadro, se ve hermoso.Look at this painting, it looks beautiful.
- MateoTienes razón, María, es una obra de arte.You're right, María, it is a work of art.
- María¿Te gusta el uso de los colores?Do you like the use of colors?
- MateoSí, se ve hermoso el contraste.Yes, the contrast looks beautiful.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hermoso, se, ve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
