ah, qué bien
/ˈa ˈke ˈbjen/word by word
The English phrase 'oh, that's good' is expressed in Spanish as ah, qué bien.
ah, qué bien is used as an interjection to express pleasure or satisfaction when reacting to positive news or a pleasant situation.
What does it mean word for word?
The part qué bien literally translates to 'how well' or 'how good'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈa ˈke ˈbjen/
Did you know?
- If said with a falling intonation and a sarcastic tone, qué bien is frequently used to mean 'just great' when something actually goes wrong.
- The word bien shares an ancient root with the Latin word 'bonus', which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'bonus'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, qué bien is often accompanied by a slight nod or a smile to signal genuine empathy rather than just polite acknowledgment.
Examples in context
- ¡Oh, eso está realmente bien!Oh, that's really good!
- ¡Oh, eso está muy bien, gracias!Oh, that's very good, thank you!
- ¡Qué bien! Te lo mereces después de tanto esfuerzo.That's good! You deserve it after so much effort.
- Ah, qué bien.Oh, that's good.
- ¡Ah, qué bien que te guste!Oh, that's good that you like it!
- Ah, qué bien, por fin descansaste.Oh, that's good, you finally rested.
Example conversation
Daniel tells Sofía that he passed his exam.
- Daniel¡Aprobé el examen de matemáticas!I passed the math exam!
- Sofía¡Ah, qué bien, Daniel!Oh, that's good, Daniel!
- DanielEstoy muy feliz por el resultado.I am very happy with the result.
- SofíaTe lo mereces por estudiar tanto.You deserve it for studying so much.
