eres genial
/eɾes xenjal/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "you're great" is expressed as eres genial.
This expression is used to tell someone that they have a wonderful personality or are very impressive.
Which one should you use?
While eres genial describes a person's wonderful nature or quality, eres un genio specifically implies the person is exceptionally talented or clever at a particular task.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word guay is an informal term meaning "cool" or "great".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spain, sois geniales is the standard way to say "you (all) are great" when addressing a group of people informally.
Did you know?
- The verb form eres is a linguistic oddity because it is actually a relic of the Latin future tense, 'eris', which means 'you will be'. Over time, this future form replaced the standard Latin present tense form in Spanish.
- While eres genial is used for personality, Spanish speakers often use the word grande (literally 'big') to call someone 'great' when referring to their moral character or legacy.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, calling someone un genio can be used sarcastically to mean they have done something remarkably foolish, similar to calling someone 'a genius' in English.
Examples in context
- Eres genial.You're great.This sentence demonstrates how to use eres genial.Tatoeba #2025272 by Shishir, translation #2202908 by CK
- ¡Eres genial! Siempre sabes cómo hacerme reír.You're great! You always know how to make me laugh.
- ¡Eres fenomenal en lo que haces!You're phenomenal at what you do!
- Me encanta cómo cantas. ¡Eres increíble!I love how you sing. You're incredible!
- Queríamos agradecerle por su trabajo arduo. ¡Es usted excelente!We wanted to thank you for your hard work. You're excellent!
- Me encanta tu nuevo look. ¡Estás guay!I love your new look. You look great!
- Muchas gracias por tu ayuda, eres genial.Thank you very much for your help, you're great.
- Siempre me haces reír, eres genial.You always make me laugh, you're great.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are talking after Javier helped her move some furniture.
- SofíaGracias por ayudarme con las cajas.Thanks for helping me with the boxes.
- JavierNo hay problema, Sofía.No problem, Sofia.
- SofíaEres genial, Javier.You're great, Javier.
- JavierGracias, de nada.Thanks, you're welcome.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, genial, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
