te ves genial hoy
/te bes xenjal oi/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "you look great today" is te ves genial hoy.
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that their physical appearance is attractive or impressive at the present time. In Spanish, it is common to use a construction that literally means "you see yourself" to express that someone "looks" a certain way, rather than using the verb for "to seem."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te ves genial hoy breaks down literally as "you see yourself great today", where te means "yourself", ves means "you see", genial means "great/wonderful" and hoy means "today".
Which one should you use?
While te ves genial focuses on how a person appears to others, it is a common way to express "you look" in Spanish, as opposed to using the verb parecer (to seem).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form te ves genial hoy is the singular informal version and uses the tú conjugation. If you are addressing someone with respect using usted, use the formal singular form se ve genial hoy. If you want to compliment a group of people, the phrase changes to the plural form se ven geniales hoy.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, giving a compliment like te ves genial hoy may be met with a modest denial or a joke to avoid appearing arrogant, rather than a simple 'thank you'.
- The word genial stems from the Latin word for a 'guardian spirit', meaning the compliment's roots are much more mystical than a simple description of appearance.
- The word genial is a cognate of the English word 'genial', but while the English version often means 'friendly', the Spanish version carries the stronger sense of 'wonderful' or 'brilliant'.
Examples in context
- Sr. Rodríguez, usted se ve elegante hoy. Su presentación fue excelente.Mr. Rodríguez, you look elegant today. Your presentation was excellent.
- ¡Te ves genial hoy! Ese color te queda muy bien.You look great today! That color suits you very well.
- Te ves genial hoy con ese vestido.You look great today in that dress.
- ¡Oye! Te ves genial hoy.Hey! You look great today.
- Te ves genial hoy, me encanta tu estilo.You look great today, I love your style.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo meet at a coffee shop.
- Lucía¡Hola Mateo! Te ves genial hoy.Hi Mateo! You look great today.
- MateoGracias, Lucía. Tú también te ves genial.Thanks, Lucía. You look great too.
- Lucía¿Es por tu nueva chaqueta?Is it because of your new jacket?
- MateoSí, me la regalaron ayer.Yes, they gave it to me yesterday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genial, hoy, te, ves, CC BY-SA 4.0.
