Bien, bueno, and bien are similar words that tend to confuse many Spanish students.

There are even some advanced students that are still struggling with them.

That’s why we have brought you an easy guide on how and when to use them.

We will explore their nuances, meaning, as well as some common examples.

We hope you can master them soon and be able to speak a little more like a native!

The main difference between these three words is:

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‘Bien is an adverb – Bueno and Buen are adjectives’

Let’s quickly remember what adverbs and adjectives are.

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun.

Having said that, we can analyze each word separately and see some examples.

BIEN

When this word modifies a verb it can be translated into English as “well” or in some cases “fine”, when it modifies an adjective or an adverb it works as “very”

It is very common to see this word along with the verb ESTAR but it’s also used with the verb SER.

Look at the following common expressions:

BIEN+VERB 

To express admiration to other’s actions:

– ¡Bien hecho!/ Well done!

– ¡Bien jugado!/ Well played!

VERB+BIEN

When someone or something works properly:

– El hombre trabaja bien / The man works well.

– Mi auto funciona bien / Mi car works fine.

To express mood or health:

– ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien / How are you? I’m well 

– ¿Cómo te sientes? Me siento bien/ How do you feel? I’m feeling well.

To express an affirmative answer:

– ¿Quieres venir con nosotros? Está bien/ Do you want to come with us? Ok.

BIEN+ADVERB

Works as “very”

– La playa está bien lejos / The beach is very far.

– Hoy me desperté bien tarde / Today I woke up very late.

ADVERB+BIEN

We can also use an adverb to emphasize  BIEN:

– Mi amigo cocina muy bien / My friend cooks very well.

– ¿Cómo estás? – Estoy muy bien / How are you? – I’m very well

– ¡Lo has hecho bastante bien! / You’ve done quite well!

BIEN+ADJECTIVE

Works as “very”

– Esa camisa está bien cara / That shirt is very expensive.

– El agua está bien fria / The water is very cold.

– La pelicula estuvo bien aburrida / The movie was very boring.

– El perro está bien entrenado / The dog is well trained.

– Tu hermano es bien activo / Your is very active.

– ¡Tu amiga es bien linda! / Your friend is very nice!

* “Linda” could mean pretty too, depending on the context*

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BUENO

The translation to this word in English is “good”.

Since BUENO is an adjective it has to match the noun that modifies in gender and number.

Therefore, the word BUENO is used to modify a singular-masculine noun.

Let’s see some examples:

 – Bueno (maculine-singular)

– Mi hijo es bueno en los deportes / My son is good at sports.

– Buena (femenine-singular)

– Mi amiga es buena cocinera / My (female) friend is a good cook.

– Buenos (masculine-plural)

– Ellos son buenos jugadores / They are good players.

– Buenas (femenine-plural )

– Ayer pasaron cosas buenas / Yesterday good things happened.

BUENO/A is commonly used with the verb SER but it’s also used with the verb ESTAR.

When something’s good or has quality.

– La pelicula estuvo buena / The movie was good.

When someone is physically attractive.

– Esa chica está buena (slang) / That girl is hot.

When something’s tasty.

– El melón está bueno / The melon is good.

ADVERB+BUENO

We can add an adverb before BUENO to emphasize it.

– Ese pan es muy bueno / That bread is very good.

– La cena estuvo muy buena / The dinner was very good.

– El espectáculo estuvo bastante bueno / The show was quite good.

– La comida esta bien buena / The food is very good.

– Tu amiga está bien buena (slang) / Your friend is very hot.

BUEN

Sometimes, in order to emphasize a noun we usually place any of the BUENO forms before the noun.

– Este es un buen carro/ This is a good car.

– ¡Buen perro! / Good dog!

– Él es un buen juagdor / He is a good player.

However, in that case (singular masculine), we take away the last “o” since we already know the gender and number of the noun “carro” resulting in BUEN.

*Note: the previous rule only applies for singular masculine nouns*

Below you have three examples of cases when the noun is plural or femenine.

– Pedro y Juan son buenos trabajadores/ Pedro and and Juan are good workers.

– Ana es una buena compañera de cuarto/ Ana is a good roommate.

– Ana y Karla son buenas amigas/ They are good friends.

Next, we have some sentences with basically the same meaning but using either BIEN, BUENO, or BUEN.

This might help you to understand better the differences between them and how each one works.

Los hombres trabajan bien = los hombres son buenos trabajadores = los hombres hacen un buen trabajo.

Jorge es un buen niño = Jorge es un niño bueno = Jorge se porta bien.

Ana es muy buena jugadora de ajedrez = Ana juega muy bien al ajedrez.

Remember you’ll find some exceptions that might throw you off but always remember: practice makes perfect.

Check out Fluentu.com or study.com articles on the topic!

We hope you will find this quick guide useful.

In future posts we’ll bring you more examples of most common expressions where we use BIEN, BUENO and BUEN. ¡Que les vaya bien!