Have you noticed that the Spanish expressions Es bueno and Está bien are often used in very similar contexts in which both are equivalents of "It's good"? The same can be said for Es malo and Está mal, which can both mean "It's bad." As this can be a bit confusing, today's lesson will point out some scenarios in which these phrases can function both similarly and differently.
One of the most challenging aspects of learning or mastering Spanish is understanding the difference between the verbs ser and estar, which both mean "to be." Put in the simplest of terms:
-Ser tends to be used for more permanent qualities and is accompanied by adjectives, which must agree grammatically with the nouns they modify in terms of number and gender.
-Estar describes more variable states like emotions and goes with adverbs, which do not change forms.
With this in mind, let's take a look at examples of es bueno/malo and está bien/mal, noting the difference in meaning.
Ella es muy buena.
She is very good.
Caption 30, Guillermina y Candelario La Señora Pulpo
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Ya, ya, tranquilos, tranquilos, ella está bien.
It's OK, it's OK, don't worry, don't worry, she's fine.
Caption 15, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 3 - Part 12
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While es buena refers to the girl's character being "good" in a more permanent sense, está bien is employed to express that, at that moment, the character is "fine," as in "safe" or "OK." We also commonly see this use of está bien to convey that a person is "doing" or feeling "fine" at a determined moment, or that a situation is "OK" or "alright":
Está bien, Luis.
It's OK, Luis.
Caption 27, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 8: La prima de la dueña - Part 5
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En español decimos: "Es que es muy malo".
In Spanish, we say: "Es que es muy malo" [It's just that he's very bad].
Caption 86, Amaya El burrito Luz - Part 2
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Y si ahora vuelvo a hablar del tema es porque su señora madre está mal.
And if now I talk about the issue again it's because your mother is ill.
Caption 37, Muñeca Brava 33 El partido - Part 3
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In these examples, we see es malo used, albeit ironically, to talk about the donkey's general "bad" character, while está mal expresses that the mother is currently "ill." Estar mal is also used frequently to say that people, animals, etc., are doing poorly at a specific point.
On the other hand, when es bueno/a and está bien are used to talk about certain things or concepts, they can function in a quite interchangeable manner. Let's explore two common scenarios in which this happens.
When describing quality, es bueno/a and está bien are often virtually synonymous. As an example, in response to the question ¿Qué tal esa película? (How's that movie?), to indicate that it is "very good," one could reply either Esa película es muy buena or Esa película está muy bien since both mean "That movie is very good." Let's look at some more examples where es bueno/a and está bien could potentially substitute one another.
Entonces, este mantra es muy bueno
So, this mantra is very good
Caption 69, Ana Teresa Introducción a los mantras
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In this case, Entonces, este mantra está muy bien could be used to express the same idea with no change in translation.
Pero está muy bien el metro.
But the subway is very good.
Caption 45, Isabel y Paula contigo Transporte público en Madrid - Part 3
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Here, one could also say Pero es muy bueno el metro and mean the same thing.
Note that, although you could use es malo/a to say that something is "bad," when using está, it would be more common to hear no está bien than está mal, for example, Ese libro no está muy bien (That book isn't very good).
Let's now examine examples where es bueno and está bien could substitute one another for the purpose of expressing judgment about what's good.
"Es bueno que vivas sola".
"It's good that you live alone."
Caption 57, Carlos comenta La sucursal del cielo - Part 2
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"Está bien que estudies para el examen de mañana"
"It's good for you to study for tomorrow's exam"
Caption 48, Carlos explica Cómo expresar opiniones en español - Part 4
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Keep in mind that, due to the subjective nature of both sentences, the verbs that follow both es bueno and está bien are conjugated in the subjunctive. Now, let's see similar examples with es malo and está mal that are also quite interchangeable:
"Está mal que Roberto trabaje tanto".
"It's bad that Roberto works so much."
Caption 76, Carlos explica Cómo expresar opiniones en español - Part 4
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Mis padres me dicen que eso es malo
My parents tell me that that is bad
Caption 25, Club de las ideas Seguridad en internet
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Take into account, however, that when what is being described entails a moral judgment about something or a statement about the correctness of information, está bien/mal would be preferable, as we see below, noting the change in translation.
Lo que usted hace está mal.
What you're doing is wrong.
Caption 87, Muñeca Brava 48 - Soluciones - Part 6
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Sin embargo, el artículo "los" es masculino plural, así que no está bien.
However, the article, "los" [the], is masculine plural, so it's incorrect.
Captions 77-78, Carlos explica La concordancia gramatical - Part 1
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While we have talked about ser accompanying bueno/a and estar going with bien/mal, and it would be totally incorrect to say es bien or es mal, there are cases in which está bueno/a or está malo/a are commonly used. Let's take a look at some common ones:
Está bueno.
It's good.
Caption 16, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 12 - Part 1
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Está buena la casa, ¿eh?
The house is nice, huh?
Caption 26, Disputas La Extraña Dama - Part 10
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Que cante mi gente -Y está buena, pero qué buena está
Sing along, my people -And she is hot, but how hot she is
Caption 35, Héctor Lavoe Mi gente
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Juan se queda en casa hoy ya que está malo.
Juan is staying home today since he's sick.
You probably recall from earlier in the lesson that estar mal is another option for talking about sickness in Spanish, so keep your ears open for both.
On that note, we will conclude this lesson, which we hope has helped you to understand when the extremely common Spanish expressions es bueno/malo and está bien/mal can be used interchangeably and when one option is preferable... and don't forget to write us with your comments and questions.
Are you wondering what is why in Spanish? Or maybe you're confused about because in Spanish? You're not alone! Understanding the difference between porque and por que (along with their accented variations) can be challenging even for advanced learners.
These four distinct forms represent important concepts in Spanish:
Por qué = Why in Spanish (asking for reasons)
Porque = Because in Spanish (giving reasons)
Porqué = The reason (a noun)
Por que = For which/that (in relative clauses)
Though they look and sound similar, each has its own specific grammatical role. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the difference between why and because in Spanish, explain when to use them correctly, and help you master this tricky aspect of Spanish grammar with plenty of real-world examples.
Spanish has these four different forms that sound nearly identical but serve distinct grammatical functions. Let's explore what is the difference between why and because in Spanish:
Por qué is the Spanish equivalent of "why" in English. It's the combination of the preposition por and the interrogative pronoun qué. Written as two separate words with an accent mark on qué, this form is used to ask about the cause or reason for something. Por qué introduces interrogative and exclamatory sentences, both causal and non-causal, whether direct or indirect. Let's see some examples:
Y Ekain, ¿por qué te gusta el surf?
And Ekain, why do you like surfing?
Caption 52, El Aula Azul Un día de surf
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No entiendo por qué los medios publican semejante mentira.
I don't understand why the media would publish such a lie.
Caption 38, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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¡Y por qué no probarlo!
And why not try it?
Caption 36, María Fernanda Economía durante el COVID-19
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Porque is how you say "because" in Spanish. It's a single word with no accent mark. The stress falls on the first syllable. It's a conjunction used to explain the cause of something and can be substituted with phrases like ya que (since), dado que (given that), or puesto que (since).
Hoy estoy muy emocionada porque estoy aquí con Catalina García,
Today, I am very excited because I am here with Catalina Garcia,
Caption 5, Monsieur Periné Entrevista
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Understanding porque in Spanish is essential as it's commonly used to answer questions that start with por qué (why):
¿Y por qué no fueron donde la tal Margarita esa para traer al Duque de allá? Porque no sabemos dónde vive esa vieja.
And why didn't you go to that Margarita woman's place to bring Duque from there? Because we don't know where that lady lives.
Captions 1-2, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 5 - Part 7
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Porque also frequently introduces reasons without a direct question:
Te dejo porque aquí está pasando algo muy raro.
I'll let you go because something very strange is going on here.
Caption 35, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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Porqué is written as one word with an accent mark. It's a masculine noun meaning "reason," "cause," or "motive." As a noun, it appears with articles or other determinants and can be pluralized.
Don Pepe y doña Susana nunca entendieron el porqué de la extraña risa de su hija en su primer día de universidad.
Don Pepe and Ms. Susana never understood the reason for their daughter's strange laughter on her first day of college.
Captions 36-38, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 1 - Part 11
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"Todo tiene su porqué".
"There's a reason for everything" [literally "Everything has its reason"].
Caption 47, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 1
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"No supe nunca los porqués de su separación".
"I never found out the reasons for their separation."
Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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In English, porqué can also sometimes be translated as "why" when referring to the reason behind something:
Y ahora os explico el porqué.
And now, I'll explain to you why.
Caption 6, San Sebastián Playa de la Zurriola
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Por que appears in two main situations:
When que is a relative pronoun meaning "which" or "that" (you can replace it with phrases like el que/cual or la que/cual):
"La razón por que he dimitido es de dominio público". Separado y sin tilde. Podríamos decir: "La razón por la que" o "por la cual he dimitido".
"The reason why I resigned is common knowledge." Separated and without a tilde. We could say: "The reason that" or "for which I've resigned."
Captions 19-22, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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When "por" and "que" happen to appear next to each other because "por" is required by a verb and "que" introduces a following clause:
"Son muchos los motivos por que decidió mudarse".
"There are many reasons why he decided to move."
Caption 36, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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Learning the differences between por qué, porque, porqué, and por que might seem challenging at first, but with practice, it becomes second nature. Remember these key points:
Por qué (separated, with accent) asks questions and means "why"
Porque (together, no accent) provides reasons and means "because"
Porqué (together, with accent) is a noun meaning "reason" or "the why"
Por que (separated, no accent) means "for which" or refers to the combination of the preposition "por" with the conjunction "que"
Paying attention to these distinctions will significantly improve both your written and spoken Spanish. It's one of those grammar points that, once mastered, will immediately make your Spanish sound more natural and correct.
Keep practicing by identifying these forms in Spanish videos, books, or conversations. Before you know it, you'll be using them correctly without even thinking about it!
¿Por qué estudiar estas diferencias? Porque te ayudarán a comunicarte mejor. El porqué de tu éxito será la práctica constante y la situación por que pasarás será cada vez más fácil.
Why study these differences? Because they'll help you communicate better. The reason for your success will be constant practice, and the situation you'll go through will be increasingly easier.
Don't forget to send us your questions and comments, and continue exploring our Spanish lessons for more insights into this beautiful language. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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