STOP Saying “Bien” in Spanish! (and what to say instead)

5 min video

Bien is a useful response, but Spanish offers other ways to say how you are or how something went. Lucía shows alternatives you can add to your everyday replies.

Watch the lesson

Try it yourself

Answer “¿Cómo estás?” and “¿Qué tal?” three different ways. Say each reply aloud and choose one you will try in your next conversation.

Watch the original lesson on YouTube.

Edited lesson transcript and examples

Read the complete substantive lesson in its original order. The English explanation is edited from the published manual captions and compared with the original automatic Spanish track and on-screen examples. All original Spanish models are included with contextual English translations. Caption errors and punctuation are repaired for reading; labelled learner notes are additions. The instructor’s recommendations, humor, pronunciation practice and Study Guide reminders are retained. This is an edited caption-based transcript, not a pronunciation assessment. Music is omitted.

• 0:00 — Add variety to bien
• 0:48 — 1. Genial
• 1:16 — 2. Fantástico
• 1:38 — 3. Maravilloso
• 1:59 — 4. Magnífico
• 2:09 — 5. Nada mal
• 2:34 — The free Study Guide
• 2:50 — 6. Me encantó
• 3:07 — 7. Qué chulo / Qué chulada
• 3:28 — 8. De lujo
• 3:54 — 9. Brutal
• 4:17 — 10. Es una pasada
• 4:42 — The next lesson

0:00 — Add variety to bien

Stop saying “bien”.

Keep it positive without sounding like a broken record. Stop.

Let’s make your conversations more interesting with 10 better ways to say “good” in Spanish:

“Bien” means “good,” “fine” or “well.”

It can be used to affirm something, show agreement, or even cheer someone on! Like this:

¡Bien! ¡Sigue así!
Example translation: Good! Keep going!
The original encouragement example.

I also hear a lot of “bueno” when learners want to express something positive.

But let me ask you something.

Do you always say “good” in English?

Nah, right?

So let’s spice up your vocabulary with a few easy alternatives that will instantly elevate your Spanish.

And here’s the twist:

We’re going to gradually raise the intensity of this little word.

Stick around till the end to hear my personal favorite.

0:48 — 1. Genial

Learner note — Vocabulary variety, not a ban: Bien, bueno and qué bueno are grammatical in suitable contexts. The crossed-out examples in this lesson illustrate the instructor’s preference for more varied or enthusiastic replies. These alternatives include adjectives, adverbial expressions and whole verb phrases, so they cannot replace bien word for word in every sentence. The growing intensity is the instructor’s illustration, not a fixed ranking for every speaker.

Number 1.

genial
Example translation: great
Alternative 1.

This one’s easy.

What’s better than “Bien” or “bueno”?

¡Muy bien!
Example translation: Very good!
The original stepping-stone expression.

Okay, but let’s go beyond that.

La comida estuvo genial. ¿Me puedes traer la cuenta, por favor?
Example translation: The meal was great. Can you bring me the bill, please?
The original restaurant example.

Me dijo que soy genial, pero que no me quieren en la banda.
Example translation: He told me I’m great, but they don’t want me in the band.
The original joke.

Can we do better?

Oh, yes.

Let’s take it up a notch.

1:16 — 2. Fantástico

Number 2.

fantástico / fantástica
Example translation: fantastic
Alternative 2: agree the adjective with the noun it describes.

¡Qué día más bueno!
Example translation: What a lovely day!
The original ordinary wording; it is grammatical.

Okay, but…

¡Qué día más fantástico! No ha habido ni una nube en el cielo.
Example translation: What a fantastic day! There hasn’t been a single cloud in the sky.
The stronger wording recommended in the lesson.

Yes, we Spaniards like to express our emotions with the intensity they deserve.

So let’s keep raising the bar.

1:38 — 3. Maravilloso

Number 3.

maravilloso / maravillosa
Example translation: marvelous / wonderful
Alternative 3.

What’s better than fantastic?

Marvelous, darling.

La boda ha estado bien.
Example translation: The wedding was good.
The original ordinary wording; the lesson prefers a more enthusiastic alternative.

La boda ha sido maravillosa. Necesito el contacto del servicio de catering.
Example translation: The wedding was wonderful. I need the catering service’s contact details.
The original enthusiastic example, punctuated for reading.

Need it, you hear? Need it!

1:59 — 4. Magnífico

Number 4.

magnífico / magnífica
Example translation: magnificent
Alternative 4.

Estás magnífica. No cambies nada.
Example translation: You look magnificent. Don’t change a thing.
The original compliment, addressed to a woman.

2:09 — 5. Nada mal

But hey, not everything in life has to be amazing all the time.

So here’s an option for the more picky among you.

Number 5.

nada mal
Example translation: not bad
Alternative 5, for a more restrained response.

So you are chilling after a show and someone asks, “How was it?”

Instead of saying:

Estuvo bien.
Example translation: It was good.
The original ordinary response about a play.

Ugh, so bland.

Try this instead.

¿La obra? Nada mal. No esperaba mucho y me ha sorprendido.
Example translation: The play? Not bad. I wasn’t expecting much, and it surprised me.
The original response.

2:34 — The free Study Guide

But speaking of demanding, are you looking for a tool that helps you plan your own Spanish lessons step by step?

Check out My Daily Spanish’s free study guide.

You can download it by scanning this QR code with your phone or using the link in the description.

It’ll have you saying…

2:50 — 6. Me encantó

Number 6.

Me encantó.
Example translation: I loved it.
Alternative 6.

¿La obra? Muy bien.
Example translation: The play? Very good.
The original ordinary response.

¿La obra? ¡Me encantó! ¡Es la mejor obra que he visto en mi vida!
Example translation: The play? I loved it! It’s the best play I’ve seen in my life!
The original enthusiastic response.

Yeah, this is more my vibe.

But hey, to each their own.

3:07 — 7. Qué chulo / Qué chulada

Now let’s move on to four very Spanish expressions.

Ready?

Number 7.

¡Qué chulo! / ¡Qué chulada!
Example translation: How cool! / That’s so cool!
Alternative 7, informal expressions.

¿Viste el mural nuevo del barrio? ¡Qué bueno!
Example translation: Did you see the new mural in the neighborhood? How great!
The original ordinary wording. The video crosses it out as a preference for more variety, not because it is ungrammatical.

Bueno there…no.

¿Viste el mural nuevo del barrio? ¡Qué chulada!
Example translation: Did you see the new mural in the neighborhood? How cool!
The recommended alternative.

3:28 — 8. De lujo

Number 8.

de lujo
Example translation: top-notch / excellent
Alternative 8. Literally “of luxury”; idiomatically it can describe something very good or something done very well.

It literally means “of luxury,” like in…

Este finde nos vamos a un hotel de lujo en la costa.
Example translation: This weekend we’re going to a luxury hotel on the coast.
The literal use. Finde is an informal word for weekend.

But it’s often used casually to say something turned out really great or high quality.

La cena nos quedó de lujo. Todos repitieron.
Example translation: Our dinner turned out fantastic. Everyone had seconds.
The original informal example.

Nice, right?

Learner note — Informal expressions: The dictionary records de lujo for something very good or something done very well. Brutal has a positive colloquial sense, and una pasada can express something extraordinary; context distinguishes these uses from literal meanings. Source: RAE: de lujo, RAE: brutal, RAE: pasada.

We’re almost at the end!

3:54 — 9. Brutal

Number 9.

brutal
Example translation: awesome / amazing
Alternative 9: the positive colloquial meaning in these examples, rather than violent.

Careful with this one.

Literally it means “brutal,” like “violent,” but in Spain and other places, it’s used to describe something incredible, intense or mind blowing.

¡Brutal tu presentación, en serio!
Example translation: Your presentation was amazing, seriously!
The original example.

Sí, tuvimos una cita anoche y fue brutal.
Example translation: Yes, we had a date last night, and it was awesome.
The original example.

4:17 — 10. Es una pasada

Ready for one of the expressions I use the most?

Number 10.

Es una pasada.
Example translation: It’s amazing.
Alternative 10, informal.

This is super Spanish.

You use it when something totally exceeds your expectations or just blows you away.

La exposición de arte es una pasada. Tienes que verla.
Example translation: The art exhibition is amazing. You have to see it.
The original example.

Tu casa nueva es una pasada. ¡Qué vistas!
Example translation: Your new house is amazing. What a view!
The original example.

4:42 — The next lesson

Want to sound even more natural?

Just wait till you hear what’s up with “adiós”.

Hit this next.

You’ll never say goodbye the same way again.