muy bien
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
The Spanish phrase for "very nice" is muy bien.
muy bien is an expression used to say that something is satisfactory or done correctly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, muy bien is commonly used to convey very nice or very good. Chévere is an informal expression used in Latin America to convey cool or awesome. In Argentina, people use the word copado to mean very nice or cool. In Mexico, Padrísimo is an informal expression used to convey super cool or very nice.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
When do people say it?
When used as an exclamation, ¡Muy bien! is a common way to praise someone for doing something correctly, similar to saying "Well done!" in English.
Did you know?
- While muy bien means 'very well', in some Spanish-speaking contexts, it can sound slightly patronizing if used toward a superior, much like saying 'very good' to a boss in English.
- The word muy is a direct descendant of the Latin multum, which means 'much'. This makes it a linguistic relative of the English word 'multitude'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, muy bien can be used sarcastically to mean 'great' in a negative sense, often accompanied by a slow shake of the head.
Examples in context
- Tu casa está muy bien.Your house is very nice.This sentence uses muy bien to describe a house.Tatoeba #4102578 by swyter, translation #4102494 by CK
- Sí, éste está muy bien. ¿Cuánto vale?Yes, this one is very nice. How much does it cost?This sentence uses muy bien to indicate that a specific item is very nice.Tatoeba #687881 by lukaszpp, translation #687880 by lukaszpp
- ¡Esa fiesta estuvo chévere! ¡Quiero repetirla pronto!That party was cool! I want to do it again soon!
- El examen te salió muy bien.The exam went very well for you.
Example conversation
Mateo is reviewing Sofía's presentation work.
- MateoTu trabajo está muy bien hecho.Your work is very well done.
- SofíaGracias, Mateo, me esforcé mucho.Thanks, Mateo, I worked very hard.
- MateoSe nota que eres muy profesional.It shows that you are very professional.
- SofíaQué amable eres, de verdad.You are so kind, really.
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.
