portarse bien
/poɾtaɾse bjen/from spelling rules
To play nice in Spanish is portarse bien.
While the English phrase 'play nice' often implies maintaining social harmony during play, portarse bien is a broader term used for general good behavior and following rules. Note that if you specifically want to tell a sports team to 'play fair', you should use jugar limpio.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive verb portarse (to behave oneself) and the adverb bien (well).
How does it change in a sentence?
When giving a direct command to behave or play nice, the form changes based on who you are addressing. Use the informal imperative pórtate bien when speaking to a child or a friend. Use the formal imperative pórtese bien when addressing someone with the formal usted pronoun.
Did you know?
- While portarse bien is general, Spanish uses the specific phrase portarse como un reloj to describe someone who is behaving with perfect, predictable precision.
- The verb portarse comes from portar, which means 'to carry'. To behave well is literally to 'carry oneself' in a proper manner.
- The word bien is a distant relative of the English word 'bonus', as both stem from the Proto-Italic word *dwenos.
Examples in context
- Les solicito que mantengan una conducta adecuada durante todo el evento.I request that you maintain appropriate behavior throughout the event.
- ¡Diviértanse y jueguen bien juntos en el parque!Have fun and play nicely together at the park!
- No olvides jugar con respeto hacia tus adversarios.Don't forget to play with respect towards your opponents.
- Él siempre intenta portarse bien en la escuela.He always tries to behave well at school.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are talking about their children at home.
- MateoMateo, ¿cómo se portó hoy el niño?Mateo, how did the boy behave today?
- LucíaÉl intentó portarse bien, pero fue difícil.He tried to behave well, but it was difficult.
- MateoEs importante que aprenda a portarse bien.It is important that he learns to behave well.
- LucíaTienes razón, lo seguiremos enseñando.You are right, we will keep teaching him.
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.
