bien merecido
/bjen meɾeθido/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "well deserved" is translated as bien merecido.
This phrase is used to indicate that a person deserves the reward or the punishment they have received.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bien (well) and the past participle merecido (deserved).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use bien merecida for feminine singular nouns, bien merecidos for masculine plural nouns and bien merecidas for feminine plural nouns.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, bien merecido is frequently used with a sarcastic tone to describe a punishment. While it translates as 'well deserved', it is often the go-to phrase for saying 'serves them right'.
- The word bien in bien merecido shares a common ancestor with the English word 'bonus'. Both trace back to the Proto-Italic word *dwenos, meaning 'good'.
- While English speakers use 'well deserved' as an adjective, in Spanish you might hear people say te lo has ganado, which translates to 'you have earned it'.
Examples in context
- Tu promoción fue muy merecida.Your promotion was well deserved.
- Ese reconocimiento es muy merecido por tus logros.That recognition is well deserved for your achievements.
- El Nobel de Literatura que ganó fue merecido a más no poder.The Nobel Prize in Literature he won was well deserved to the highest degree.
- La medalla de oro que recibió fue merecida a más no poder.The gold medal she received was well deserved to the highest degree.
- ¡Ese reconocimiento es merecidísimo después de todo tu esfuerzo!That recognition is well deserved after all your effort!
- ¡El premio que ganaste es merecidísimo!The prize you won is well deserved!
- Ese reconocimiento es bien ganado por tu esfuerzo constante.That recognition is well earned due to your constant effort.
- La victoria de tu equipo fue bien ganada.Your team's victory was well earned.
- Es un premio bien merecido.It is a well deserved prize.
- Tu ascenso es bien merecido.Your promotion is well deserved.
- Ese premio es bien merecido por su esfuerzo.That award is well deserved for her effort.
- El castigo fue bien merecido.The punishment was well deserved.
Example conversation
Alejandro congratulates Lucía on winning a prestigious award.
- Alejandro¡Felicidades, Lucía! Tu premio es bien merecido.Congratulations, Lucía! Your award is well deserved.
- LucíaMuchas gracias, Alejandro. Estoy muy feliz.Thank you very much, Alejandro. I am very happy.
- AlejandroHas trabajado muy duro para lograrlo.You have worked very hard to achieve it.
- LucíaSí, valió la pena todo el esfuerzo.Yes, all the effort was worth it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, merecido, CC BY-SA 4.0.
