muy bien
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
The English phrase "very well" is expressed in Spanish as muy bien.
The phrase muy bien can be used to express that something is being done "very well" as an adverb. It is also frequently used as a standalone interjection to mean "all right" or "okay" when you are agreeing to something.
Meaning: interjection (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of muy (very) and bien (well).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the informal phrase de puta madre can be used to say "very well". In Mexico, the informal term chido is used to denote "very well" or "cool".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌmui ˈbjen/
When do people say it?
When someone asks ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?), responding with Muy bien is a standard, positive response.
Did you know?
- The word muy actually shares a common ancestor with the English word 'much'. They both stem from a root describing a large quantity, though their paths diverged significantly over thousands of years.
- In some regions, está bien is used not just to mean 'it is well' but as a way to set a boundary or end a discussion, effectively meaning 'enough'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to repeat the phrase as muy, muy bien to add emphasis, which sounds more natural than adding further adjectives.
Examples in context
- No va muy bien.It's not going very well.This sentence shows the use of muy bien to describe how something is going.Tatoeba #4431462 by Shishir, translation #4011944 by CK
- Él canta muy bien.He sings very well.This sentence demonstrates using muy bien to describe how someone sings.Tatoeba #1200433 by cueyayotl, translation #1198914 by etoile
- Aoi baila muy bien.Aoi dances very well.This sentence shows how to use muy bien to describe how someone dances.Tatoeba #1507110 by marcelostockle, translation #28668 by CN
- Ayer presenté mi propuesta y todo salió muy bien.Yesterday, I presented my proposal, and everything went very well.
- 238 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are finishing a work meeting.
- JavierMuy bien, terminamos por hoy.Very well, we are finished for today.
- SofíaGracias, Javier. Hasta mañana.Thanks, Javier. See you tomorrow.
- JavierDe nada, Sofía. Que tengas buen día.You're welcome, Sofía. Have a good day.
- SofíaIgualmente. Adiós.Likewise. Goodbye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “very well” translations and entries 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.
