suena bien
/swena bjen/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "it sounds good" is said as suena bien.
This phrase is used to express agreement with a proposal, idea or plan, much like the English "that sounds good".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the third-person singular form of the verb sonar (to sound) and the adverb bien (well/good).
Which one should you use?
You can use me suena bien to specifically mean "it sounds good to me" by adding the indirect object pronoun me.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "it sounds bad" or "that sounds bad", replace bien with mal to form suena mal.
Did you know?
- In Mexico, you might hear me late instead of suena bien to agree to a plan. This uses the verb for a heartbeat, suggesting the idea resonates with the person's heart.
- If you recognize a name but cannot recall the person, you can simply say me suena, which is the equivalent of the English idiom 'it rings a bell'.
- The adverb bien in suena bien shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'bonus', which is the root of the English word 'bonus'.
Examples in context
- Ese plan suena bien.That plan sounds good.
- Tu idea suena bien para la fiesta.Your idea sounds good for the party.
- El menú de mañana suena bien.Tomorrow's menu sounds good.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are discussing where to go for dinner.
- Sofía¿Quieres ir al restaurante italiano hoy?Do you want to go to the Italian restaurant today?
- AlejandroSí, suena bien.Yes, it sounds good.
- SofíaPerfecto, paso por ti a las ocho.Perfect, I will pick you up at eight.
- AlejandroDe acuerdo, nos vemos entonces.Alright, see you then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
