How to Say “Not Good” in Spanish

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no está bien
/no esta bjen/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "not good" is no está bien.
no está bien is used to express that something is incorrect, improper or not in a good state. It can also be used to mean that someone is not well when referring to their health or emotional state.

Which one should you use?

no está bien is used to express that something is incorrect, improper or not in a good state, whereas no es bueno refers to the inherent quality of being good.

Is it said differently in some regions?

No está chido is a way to say "not good" in Mexican Spanish.

How does it change in a sentence?

Use no es bueno instead of no está bien when describing the inherent quality or moral goodness of something rather than its state or correctness. Additionally, no está bien can mean "he/she is not well" regarding health or emotional state.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid saying no es bien, which incorrectly combines the verb ser with bien. Instead, use no está bien.

Did you know?

  • The word bien is a linguistic descendant of the Latin word 'bene', which is also the root for many English words like 'benefit'.
  • The word bien traces its roots back to an ancient Proto-Italic word, *dwenos, which meant 'good'.

Examples in context

  • La carretera no está bien.
    The road is not good.
    This sentence shows how to describe a road that is not in a good state using no está bien.
    Tatoeba #12049412 by carlosalberto, translation #12049395 by carlosalberto
  • No está bien ridiculizarlo en público.
    It is not good to ridicule him in public.
    This sentence shows how to use no está bien to describe an improper action.
    Tatoeba #2613447 by nancy, translation #240472 by CM
  • No está bien imponer nuestras ideas a otros.
    It's not good to force our ideas on others.
    This sentence shows how to use no está bien to describe an improper way of interacting with others.
    Tatoeba #1448309 by Alpha, translation #264700 by CM
  • La calidad del servicio no es buena.
    The quality of the service is not good.
  • El resultado del proyecto no es satisfactorio.
    The outcome of the project is not good.
  • Tu actitud no es adecuada para un entorno profesional.
    Your attitude is not suitable for a professional environment.
  • La situación económica no está bien.
    The economic situation is not good.

Example conversation

Elena and Daniel are discussing a recent decision made at work.

  1. Elena

    Daniel, no está bien que lo hicieras.
    Daniel, it is not good that you did that.
  2. Daniel

    Lo siento, Elena, fue un error.
    I am sorry, Elena, it was a mistake.
  3. Elena

    Debes pedir disculpas pronto.
    You should apologize soon.
  4. Daniel

    Tienes razón, lo haré.
    You are right, I will do it.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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Mackenzie Olive
Mackenzie OliveHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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