Do you “cook good” or are you “well at cooking?”
If those phrases make you cringe, then you should know that you can mix up these words in Spanish as well.
The Spanish words bien, bueno and buen have similar meaning (good/well), but are used in different situations.
This post will tell you once and for all when and how you should use bien, bueno, and buen in Spanish like a native!
Contents
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The Difference Between Bien vs. Bueno
Even though these two words have completely different functions in the sentence, they are very often mistranslated or misused, both in Spanish and English, leading to many incorrect sentences as a result.
However, learning the difference isn’t as tricky as you may think:
Simply put, bien is an adverb that is translated as “well.”
Mi primo no se siente muy bien. (My cousin is not feeling very well.)
Hazlo bien o no lo hagas en absoluto. (Do it properly [well] or don’t do it at all.)
On the other hand, bueno is an adjective that can be generally translated as “good.”
Juan es un niño muy bueno. (Juan is a very good boy.)
Fumar no es bueno para tu salud. (Smoking is not good for your health.)
Although bien is often translated as “well,” it can also be translated to “very,” “properly” and “fine.”
It’s an adverb, and as such, it can be used to modify a verb, adjective or another adverb. You may also see bien on its own to form a sentence.
Uses of Bien
1. Answering ¿Cómo estás? and ¿Cómo te va? questions.
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? (Fine, thanks, and you?)
2. Talking about your health.
María no se siente muy bien hoy. (María is not feeling very well today.)
Ya estoy bien, pero los últimos meses han sido muy duros. (I’m fine now, but the last few months have been very hard.)
Note that in this context when talking about health, bien can also be used with the verbs sentirse (to feel) or encontrarse (to be/find yourself).
3. Emphasizing the adjective in a sentence.
If you add the adverb bien in front of an adjective, you emphasize it:
El examen ha sido bien difícil. (The exam has been very difficult.)
Esta sandía está bien jugosa. (This watermelon is very juicy.)
4. When something is done correctly/properly.
¡Qué bien cocinas, Alejandro! (Alejandro, you cook so well!)
Has entendido la lección muy bien. (You have understood the lesson very well.)
5. When something works or does not work as it should.
Creo que mi ordenador no funciona bien. (I think my computer is not working properly.)
Esta mañana estaba trabajando bien. (This morning it was working correctly/fine.)
6. When the answer to a question is okay, sure, fine or all right.
Nos vemos a las cinco en el parque. (See you at five p.m. in the park.)
Bien. (Okay.)
7. To say “Bravo!” or “Yahoo!”
Has ganado un osito de peluche, ¡Bien! (You have won a teddy bear, yahoo!)
¡Qué bien! Ya he terminado los deberes. (Bravo! I have finished my homework.)
Phrases with Bien
Bueno is the adjectival counterpart of the word bien, and as such, it behaves very differently.
For starters, bueno has four forms that always have to agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
Although the first meaning for bueno you will see in the dictionary is “good,” it can also mean “tasty,” “useful,” “beneficial” and even “hello!”
Bueno vs. Buen
The first thing you should know is that bueno and buen are actually two facets of the same word.
Their meaning is identical, but their position in the sentence is different.
Bueno is used after a masculine singular noun, but this word also has the possibility of appearing in front of the same masculine singular nouns. In this case, bueno has to lose its final -o in order to be able to be in that position:
Es un niño muy bueno. (He is a very good child.) → Es un muy buen niño. (He is a very good child.)
Es un melón bueno. (It is a tasty melon.) → Es un buen melón. (It is a tasty/good melon.)
The best way to learn how these words differ is to hear them being used in different contexts, like when talking to Spanish speakers or watching Spanish videos.
Another option is the language learning program FluentU, which teaches Spanish through authentic videos (like movie clips, music videos and snippets from talk shows) paired with interactive subtitles. By immersing yourself in native media, you’ll become more confident in using bueno, buen and other words when speaking Spanish.
FluentU is also available on iOS and Android, so you can study wherever you are.
Uses of Bueno/Buen
1. When a person or an animal behaves well.
Dame la patita. ¡Buen chico! (Give me your paw. Good boy!)
Mi hijo es un niño muy bueno. (My son is a very good kid.)
2. When a person fulfills their duty correctly.
María es muy buena madre. (María is a very good mother.)
Eres un buen hombre. (You are a good man.)
3. When something is beneficial for you.
Fumar no es bueno para la salud. (Smoking is not good for your health.)
Hacer ejercicio es muy bueno. (Exercising is very good/beneficial.)
4. When something is useful or practical.
Es un libro muy bueno. (It is a very good book.)
Creo que es una buena impresora. (I think it is a good printer.)
5. When the quality of an object is high.
Es un coche muy bueno. (It is a very good car.)
Necesito un buen sofá. (I need a good sofa.)
6. When something is tasty.
Esta hamburguesa está muy buena. (This hamburger is really tasty.)
Esta carne no está buena. Tiene un olor raro. (This meat has gone bad. It smells funny.)
7. When someone is attractive.
Whether you decide to use it or not is up to you, but remember this is very informal.
Lukas está muy bueno. (Lukas is very hot.)
Tu vecina está muy buena. (Your neighbor is very hot.)
8. When the answer to a question is okay, sure, fine or all right.
This is the only situation in which you can use bien and bueno interchangeably and no one will bat an eye.
I am including the same example I used with bien so you can see for yourself there is actually no difference:
Nos vemos a las cinco en el parque. (See you at five p.m. in the park.) — Bueno. (Okay.)
Phrases with Bueno
Everything is going to be bien if you study these two words properly.
And as they say, todo lo bueno se acaba (all good things must come to an end), so see you in the next post!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
