verse bien
/beɾse bjen/from spelling rules
To look good in Spanish is verse bien.
Verse bien is used to describe someone having an attractive appearance or being well-dressed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive verb verse (to see oneself) and the adverb bien (well).
Which one should you use?
Use verse bien when discussing a person's appearance or clothing. Do not use parecer bueno, as that phrase refers to something appearing to be of good quality or taste.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people often use estar estupendo to mean 'look fantastic'. In Latin America, estar bonito/a is a common informal way to say someone looks good.
How does it change in a sentence?
To tell someone directly that they look good, use the second-person singular form te ves bien. When describing how a specific person or object looks, use the third-person singular form se ve bien.
Did you know?
- While verse bien describes appearance, if you tell someone they 'se ven buenos' in many Latin American countries, you are actually making a sexual proposition rather than a compliment.
- The word bien shares an ancient ancestor with the Latin bonus, which is the root of the English word 'bonus' and 'beneficial'.
- If you want to say someone 'looks good' because they are behaving or acting well, you should use portarse bien instead of verse bien.
Examples in context
- Me gusta cómo te ves hoy. ¡Te ves bien!I like how you look today. You look good!
- Estás muy guapa con ese vestido.You look really beautiful in that dress.
- Tienes muy buena presencia para este trabajo.You have a great presence for this job.
- ¡Vaya, te ves de maravilla con ese peinado!Wow, you look marvelous with that hairstyle!
- Siempre luces bien con esa ropa.You always look good in that outfit.
- Estás estupendo con ese traje nuevo.You look fantastic in that new suit.
- Ese vestido te hace ver bien.That dress makes you look good.
- Los trajes nuevos suelen verse bien en las fotos.New suits usually look good in photos.
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.
