te ves
/te bes/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'you look' can be translated into Spanish as te ves.
Which one should you use?
While te ves refers to physical appearance or how one presents themselves, the word pareces is often used to mean 'you seem' (referring to character or an impression).
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use miras to mean 'you look [good]', but mirar means the physical act of looking at an object, whereas te ves describes an appearance.
Did you know?
- The pronoun te in te ves is a reflexive pronoun, meaning the phrase literally translates to 'you see yourself'.
- The word ves in this phrase was not inherited from Latin but was borrowed into Spanish from Catalan.
- Using te ves with an adjective of color, like te ves roja, doesn't just mean you look red, it often implies you are blushing from embarrassment.
Examples in context
- Te ves muy sexy.You look really hot.This sentence is useful for saying someone looks sexy using te ves.Tatoeba #3562644 by ficion, translation #3331053 by CK
- Te ves muy bien.You look fine.This sentence is useful for saying someone looks fine using te ves.Tatoeba #5024352 by don_ramon, translation #1876996 by Spamster
- Te ves más joven.You look younger.This sentence is useful for saying someone looks younger using te ves.Tatoeba #4982707 by Ruthdq, translation #1626137 by CK
- Usted se ve elegante en ese traje.You look elegant in that suit.
- Usted luce radiante esta noche.You look radiant tonight.
- Te ves hermoso/a con ese nuevo peinado.You look beautiful with that new hairstyle.
- ¡Luces genial con esos zapatos nuevos!You look great with those new shoes!
- 70 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are meeting at a coffee shop.
- MateoHola Lucía, te ves radiante.Hello Lucía, you look radiant.
- LucíaGracias, Mateo. ¿Tú cómo estás?Thank you, Mateo. How are you?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias por preguntar.Very well, thanks for asking.
- LucíaMe alegra mucho escucharlo.I am very happy to hear that.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries te, ves, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
