Muy bien
/mui bjen/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'very good' can be translated to Spanish as Muy bien.
Muy bien is used to mean 'very well' or 'very good'. It is a standard way to respond to the question '¿Cómo estás?' (How are you?) to indicate you are doing very well. It can also be used as an exclamation of agreement or approval, similar to saying 'All right' or 'Very good' in English.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between Muy bien and Muy bueno. While Muy bien means 'very well' and is used for feelings or actions, Muy bueno means 'very good' and is used to describe the quality of nouns, such as food or people.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Spain, people might use guay instead of genial.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because bien is an adverb, Muy bien does not change its form to agree with gender or number, even if the subject is plural or feminine.
Did you know?
- While Muy bien is a common response to 'How are you?', using Muy bueno to describe your current state would sound as if you are describing your own taste or moral character rather than your well-being.
- In some Latin American regions, Muy bien can be used as a sarcastic retort to someone who has made a mistake, functioning like the English phrase 'Way to go'.
- The word muy shares an ancient ancestor with the Latin word 'multus', which is the root of the English word 'multiple'.
Examples in context
- Me siento muy bien.I feel very good.Tatoeba #1253656 by hayastan, translation #736696 by Darkmaster
- Sabe muy bien, ¿no?It tastes very good, doesn't it?Tatoeba #6635204 by UsuarioX, translation #402335 by CK
- Hoy la pasé muy bien.I had a very good time today.Tatoeba #2005797 by marcelostockle, translation #242731 by CK
- La arquitectura de la catedral es verdaderamente magnífica.The architecture of the cathedral is truly magnificent.
- El concierto fue fantástico. La banda superó todas las expectativas.The concert was fantastic! The band exceeded all expectations.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are chatting about a recent test.
- Mateo¿Cómo te fue en el examen?How did you do on the exam?
- LucíaMe fue muy bien, gracias.I did very good, thanks.
- Mateo¡Qué alegría! Felicidades, Lucía.That's great! Congratulations, Lucía.
- LucíaGracias, Mateo. Tú también lo hiciste muy bien.Thanks, Mateo. You also did very good.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
