Which one should you use?
Use fue genial to describe a completed event that has a clear beginning and end, such as a party or a concert. Alternatively, you can use estuvo genial to describe how an event or experience felt during its duration.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are many informal and slang alternatives depending on where you are. For example, estuvo guay is informal and used in Spain, while estuvo padre is an informal way to say it in Mexico.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations include the slang Estuvo chido in Mexico, and the colloquial expression Estuvo bacán which is common in Peru, Chile and other South American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are describing a continuous state or a recurring quality of an experience in the past, use era genial instead of fue genial.
Did you know?
- In Mexico, the word padre used in estuvo padre literally means 'father'. In this slang context, it has nothing to do with parents.
- The word genial shares its roots with the English word 'genius', as both stem from the Latin concept of a 'guardian spirit' that inspires brilliance.
- While fue genial is universal, using guay is a strong social marker for Spain. Using guay in Latin America may make a speaker sound like they are imitating a movie character from Madrid.
Examples in context
- La fiesta de gala fue genialThe gala party was great
- La película de anoche estuvo genialLast night's movie was great
- La fiesta estuvo chidaThe party was cool
- La exposición estuvo de pelosThe exhibition was cool
- La fiesta de anoche estuvo bacánLast night's party was cool
- La fiesta fue genial.The party was cool.
- El concierto fue genial.The concert was cool.
- Tu fiesta de cumpleaños fue genial.Your birthday party was cool.
- El viaje a la playa fue genial.The trip to the beach was cool.
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are talking about a movie they saw.
- María¿Te gustó la película?Did you like the movie?
- AlejandroSí, fue genial.Yes, it was cool.
- María¡Qué bueno! A mí también me encantó.That's good! I loved it too.
- AlejandroEs la mejor que he visto este año.It is the best one I have seen this year.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genial, CC BY-SA 4.0.
