se ve bien
/se be bjen/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "that looks good" is translated as se ve bien.
You can use se ve bien to comment on the visual appearance of an object, the quality of a piece of work or a person's outfit. You can also add muy before bien to intensify the statement to "it looks very good" (se ve muy bien).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it sees itself well". In this construction, se acts as a reflexive pronoun and ve is the third-person singular form of the verb ver (to see).
Which one should you use?
Use se ve bien when referring to a single object or person. If you are referring to multiple objects or people, use se ven bien instead.
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, the word ve can be a command to 'go' rather than a form of 'to see'. This occurs because Spanish has two different verbs that evolved into the same written word.
- While se ve bien describes appearance, Spanish speakers often use the verb quedar to say something looks good specifically because of how it fits or suits a person, such as te queda bien.
- While se ve bien refers to visual appearance, if you want to say something 'tastes' good, you would switch the verb to sabe bien.
Examples in context
- Eso se ve chulo. Es lo máximo.That looks good. It's awesome.
- Eso está de lujo. ¡Te quedó precioso/a!That looks great. It turned out beautiful!
- Ese vestido se ve bien.That dress looks good.
- Tu nuevo corte de pelo se ve bien.Your new haircut looks good.
- El diseño de la casa se ve bien.The design of the house looks good.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are looking at a new painting in a gallery.
- Alejandro¿Qué te parece este cuadro?What do you think of this painting?
- ElenaSí, se ve bien en esta pared.Yes, it looks good on this wall.
- AlejandroMe alegra que te guste.I'm glad you like it.
- ElenaEs una excelente elección.It is an excellent choice.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, se, ve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
