te ves hermosa
/te bes eɾmosa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'you look lovely' is expressed in Spanish as te ves hermosa.
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that they look beautiful or attractive. While te ves hermosa focuses on how the person appears to others, it is a common way to express that someone 'looks' a certain way in Spanish.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, te ves hermosa translates to 'you see yourself beautiful,' where ves is the second-person singular of ver (to see).
Which one should you use?
Other variations allow you to change the intensity or tone, such as Te ves genial to say 'You look great' or Te ves preciosa to say 'You look precious'.
How does it change in a sentence?
te ves hermosa uses the feminine adjective, so it should only be used when speaking to a woman. To compliment a man, you must change the adjective to the masculine form te ves hermoso. In formal versions, use encantadora for a woman and encantador for a man.
Did you know?
- The word encantadora, used in formal versions of the phrase, shares a root with 'enchantment' and literally implies that the person is 'under a spell' or casting one.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, responding to te ves hermosa with a humble no es para tanto or qué va is a common social dance to avoid appearing arrogant.
- While hermosa means 'beautiful', the word is derived from the Latin 'formosus', which originally referred to the 'shape' or 'form' of a person.
Examples in context
- Señor González, usted se ve encantador en ese traje.Mr. González, you look lovely in that suit.
- ¡Elena, te ves preciosa con ese vestido nuevo!Elena, you look lovely in that new dress!
- ¡Te ves hermosa hoy!You look lovely today!
- Te ves hermosa con ese vestido.You look lovely in that dress.
- Siempre te ves hermosa.You always look lovely.
Example conversation
Daniel meets Lucía at a restaurant for their date.
- Lucía¡Hola, Daniel!Hi, Daniel!
- DanielHola, Lucía. Te ves hermosa.Hi, Lucía. You look lovely.
- LucíaMuchas gracias, qué amable.Thank you very much, how kind.
- DanielEs la verdad.It's the truth.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
