muy bien
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
The English phrase "very fine" translates to the Spanish phrase muy bien.
muy bien is used to describe a state of being in good health or to indicate that one is doing well. You can also use excelente to express that something is excellent or very fine, or genial to convey that something is great or awesome.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase muy guay is commonly used to mean very fine or very cool. In some Latin American countries, particularly in the Caribbean, muy chévere is used to express that something is very fine or very cool.
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing how you are doing, Spanish uses the adverb bien rather than the adjective bueno. Therefore, you use muy bien to say you are doing very well.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
What mistakes should you avoid?
A common mistake is to use muy bueno to describe your health or state of being. Because bueno is an adjective, you should instead use the adverb bien in the phrase muy bien.
When do people say it?
When someone asks you ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?), a common and polite way to respond is muy bien, gracias (very well, thank you).
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone of voice, ¡Muy bien! can be used sarcastically to mean 'Great, just what I needed' when something goes wrong.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, responding muy bien to ¿Cómo estás? is often a social formality, even if the person is actually feeling poorly.
- The word muy comes from the Latin multum, which means 'much'. In English, this is the same root that gave us the word 'multitude'.
Examples in context
- Como he dormido muy bien esta noche, me encuentro muy bien esta mañana.Having slept well last night, I feel very fine this morning.This sentence is useful for showing how to use muy bien to describe feeling well after a good night's sleep.Tatoeba #2722777 by ikarias, translation #1459576 by GoddessSK
- ¡La música en esta fiesta está muy chévere!The music at this party is very fine/cool!
- Todo va muy bien en el trabajo.Everything is going very well at work.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía meet at a café.
- DanielHola Lucía, ¿cómo estás?Hi Lucía, how are you?
- LucíaHola Daniel, estoy muy bien.Hi Daniel, I am doing very fine.
- Daniel¿Y tu familia?And your family?
- LucíaEllos también están muy bien.They are also doing very fine.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry muy bien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
