no muy bien
/no mui bjen/from spelling rules
The English phrase "not very well" is translated into Spanish as no muy bien.
Use no muy bien to indicate that someone is not in good health or is not doing well. If you want to express a more formal sense of struggling or finding something particularly challenging, you may also use con dificultades.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not), muy (very) and bien (well).
Which one should you use?
no muy bien is used to describe a state of being or performance. In contrast, no muy bueno means "not very good" and is used to describe the quality of an object or a person's character.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adverbial expression, no muy bien does not change its form based on the gender or number of the person being described.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, answering no muy bien to a greeting is often seen as an invitation for the other person to ask for a detailed explanation of your problems.
- The word muy is a direct descendant of the Latin word multum, which meant 'much'. This makes it a close relative of the English word 'multitude'.
- While no muy bien describes a state, Spanish speakers may use the phrase estoy regular to express a similar feeling of being 'so-so' or 'not great'.
Examples in context
- Escribo en español con dificultadesI write in Spanish with difficulties
- ¿Cómo estás? No muy bien.How are you? Not very well.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking at a cafe.
- Javier¿Qué tal estás, María?How are you, María?
- MaríaNo muy bien, tengo un poco de dolor de cabeza.Not very well, I have a bit of a headache.
- JavierLo siento mucho, ¿quieres ir a casa?I'm very sorry, do you want to go home?
- MaríaSí, creo que es lo mejor.Yes, I think that is for the best.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, muy, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
