How to Say "well" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “well” is “bien” — use 'bien' when describing the quality or manner of an action, meaning 'in a good way' or 'correctly'..
bien
/byen//ˈbjen/
Examples
Ella canta muy bien.
She sings very well.
No me siento bien hoy.
I don't feel well today.
El examen me salió bien.
The exam went well for me.
Adverb vs. Adjective: `bien` vs. `bueno`
Bien usually describes how you do something (an action), while bueno describes what something is like (a person or thing). Think: 'sing well' (cantar bien) vs. 'a good song' (una buena canción).
Using `bueno` instead of `bien` for Health
Mistake: “Estoy bueno.”
Correction: Estoy bien. (I am well.)
sano
SAH-noh/ˈsa.no/
Examples
Después de la cirugía, el paciente está completamente sano.
After the surgery, the patient is completely healthy.
¿Estás sano? No te vi en clase ayer.
Are you well? I didn't see you in class yesterday.
Gender and Number Agreement
As an adjective, 'sano' must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun it describes: 'un chico sano' (a healthy boy), 'una chica sana' (a healthy girl).
Using 'sano' for 'tasty'
Mistake: “This food is sano.”
Correction: Use 'rico' or 'delicioso' for tasty. While 'sano' means healthy, it doesn't imply flavor.
pozo
POH-soh/ˈpo.so/
Examples
Necesitamos sacar agua del pozo para regar el jardín.
We need to draw water from the well to water the garden.
El pozo de la abuela es muy profundo y tiene agua muy fría.
Grandma's well is very deep and has very cold water.
Gender Reminder
'Pozo' is always masculine, so you must use 'el pozo' or 'un pozo'.
lindo
/leen-doh//ˈlindo/
Examples
Ella canta muy lindo.
She sings very nicely.
El equipo jugó lindo y ganó el partido.
The team played well and won the game.
Describing an Action
Sometimes in Spanish, you can use the masculine form of a describing word like 'lindo' to say how an action is done. It describes the verb (the action), not a noun, so it always stays 'lindo' and doesn't change to 'linda'.
Using the Feminine Form
Mistake: “Ella canta muy linda.”
Correction: Ella canta muy lindo. When you're describing *how* she sings (the action), you use 'lindo'. Saying 'canta muy linda' would sound like you're describing *her* as pretty *while* she sings, which is a bit different.
ben
/ben//ben/
Examples
Ben lo decía el sabio: 'conócete a ti mismo'.
The wise man said it well: 'know thyself'.
An Old-Fashioned Word
This is an old way to say 'bien' (well). You almost never see or hear it today, except in very old writing or poetry.
Don't Confuse with 'Bien'
Mistake: “Estoy ben, gracias.”
Correction: Estoy bien, gracias. In modern Spanish, you should always use 'bien' to say you are doing 'well' or 'fine'.
Bien vs. Sano
Related Translations
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