Compliments in Spanish: on looks, food, homes and work, and how to reply, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Compliments come up at every meal, visit and meeting. The word for “nice” changes by country, a few words that look like compliments are not, and the expected reply is different from English. Below: compliments on looks, food, homes and work, the ones to avoid, and how to take a compliment, with the version for Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
The pattern
The most common compliment is an exclamation with qué.
¡Qué bonito! How nice! ¡Qué casa tan bonita! / ¡Qué casa más bonita! What a lovely house!
Qué + adjective is the short form. Qué + noun + tan or más + adjective is the full one. In Spain people use más more often; in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, tan. Both are correct everywhere.
The other workhorse is me encanta: me encanta tu chaqueta, I love your jacket. For more than one thing, me encantan tus zapatos.
Nice, cool, great
This is the word that changes most from country to country.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice, lovely | bonito, lindo | bonito, precioso | lindo, bonito | lindo |
| Cool, great | padre, chido | chulo, guay | chévere, bacano | copado, genial |
| How nice! | ¡Qué padre! / ¡Qué bonito! | ¡Qué chulo! / ¡Qué bonito! | ¡Qué chévere! / ¡Qué lindo! | ¡Qué lindo! / ¡Qué copado! |
| Amazing | ¡Está increíble! | ¡Es una pasada! | ¡Está espectacular! | ¡Está buenísimo! |
The notes:
- Padre in Mexico means cool: ¡qué padre tu casa! Chido is the same, a little more casual.
- Chulo in Spain means cute or cool about a thing: ¡qué chulo tu piso! About a man it means cocky, so keep it for objects.
- Guay is Spain’s “cool”, common among all ages.
- Chévere is Colombia’s word for good, cool and fine, used every day. Bacano means the same and is heard across Colombia.
- Copado is Argentina’s cool: ¡qué copado!
- Lindo is the default nice word in Argentina and Colombia, used by men and women for a view, a jumper, a person or a plan. In Spain lindo sounds Latin American, and bonito or precioso is usual.
- Una pasada in Spain is something amazing: tu casa es una pasada.
Looks and clothes
Compliment the choice before the body. A haircut, a shirt, a colour are safe everywhere.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| You look great | Te ves muy bien. (Latin America) / Estás muy guapo / guapa. (Spain) | Estar for today |
| You look lovely today | Qué guapa estás hoy. (Spain, Mexico) / Qué linda estás hoy. (Colombia, Argentina) | |
| That suits you | Te queda muy bien. | Quedar is the verb for clothes and hair |
| That colour suits you | Ese color te queda muy bien. / Te favorece mucho. | |
| I love your dress | Me encanta tu vestido. | |
| Nice shoes | ¡Qué lindos zapatos! / ¡Qué zapatos más chulos! (Spain) | |
| Your haircut looks good | Te queda muy bien el corte. | |
| Did you get a haircut? | ¿Te cortaste el pelo? / ¿Te has cortado el pelo? (Spain) | Said as a compliment |
| You look well | Te veo muy bien. / Te ves muy bien. | After an illness, or after a while apart |
| You look sharp | ¡Qué elegante! |
Guapo and guapa are the Spanish words for good-looking, and Mexicans use them too. Colombians and Argentines lean to lindo and linda. In Spain people also use guapo about things: ¡qué coche más guapo!, what a nice car.
Estar versus ser: estás guapa is about today, eres guapa is about the person. Both are compliments; estás is lighter and easier to give to a friend or colleague.
Te ves bien is normal in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. In Spain te veo bien or estás muy bien is more usual.
What to avoid
| Spanish | What it says | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Estás caliente. / Eres caliente. | You’re aroused | Caliente is never “attractive” about a person |
| Estás buena / bueno. | You’re hot | About the body, crude from anyone but a partner |
| ¡Qué rica! / ¡Qué rico! about a person | You look tasty | Sexual in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Use rico for food only |
| Chulo about a man in Spain | Cocky, a show-off | In Mexico chulo and chula are cute, a real compliment |
| Mona in Colombia | Blonde, fair | In Spain mona is cute; in Colombia it is a description |
Piropos, the lines men call out to women in the street, are a tradition people now widely see as harassment in all four countries.
Weight and bodies are discussed more openly than in English. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina gordo, gorda, flaco and flaca are common nicknames, often affectionate, and a relative may say estás más delgada or engordaste at lunch. Do not copy it; comment on what someone chose, and let them comment on their own body.
Food
At someone’s table, praising the food is expected.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This is delicious | Está bien rico. / Está delicioso. | Está buenísimo. / Está riquísimo. | Está delicioso. / Está muy rico. | Está buenísimo. / Está riquísimo. |
| It came out great | Te quedó delicioso. | Te ha quedado buenísimo. | Le quedó delicioso. (usted) / Te quedó delicioso. | Te quedó buenísimo. / Te salió riquísimo. |
| You have to give me the recipe | Me tienes que pasar la receta. | Me tienes que dar la receta. | Me tiene que pasar la receta. (usted) | Me tenés que pasar la receta. |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How did you make it? | ¿Cómo lo hiciste? / ¿Cómo lo has hecho? (Spain) | |
| What’s in it? | ¿Qué lleva? | |
| Can I have seconds? | ¿Puedo repetir? (Spain) / ¿Me puedo servir más? | Asking for more is a compliment in itself |
| It’s the best I’ve had | Es el mejor que he probado. / Es el mejor que probé. (Latin America) | |
| Just the right amount of spice | Pica rico. (Mexico) | Picar is to be spicy |
Quedar again: te quedó delicioso, it came out delicious. With it you credit the cook, which you do not quite do with está delicioso alone.
In Mexico, if you praise a dish, you often get more of it. If you hear ¿quieres más? and cannot eat more, say ya estoy lleno, pero estaba buenísimo, I’m full, but it was great. The saying no to food post has more.
In Argentina, people give the asado its own compliment: un aplauso para el asador, a round of applause for the person at the grill.
Homes
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What a lovely home | ¡Qué casa tan bonita! / ¡Qué casa más bonita! (Spain) | |
| What a lovely flat | ¡Qué piso tan bonito! (Spain) / ¡Qué depa tan padre! (Mexico) / ¡Qué lindo el apartamento! (Colombia) / ¡Qué lindo el departamento! (Argentina) | Depa is the Mexican short form |
| So much light | ¡Qué luminoso! / Tiene muy buena luz. | |
| What a view | ¡Qué vista! / ¡Qué vistas! (Spain) | |
| You’ve done it up beautifully | Lo has dejado precioso. (Spain) / Te quedó muy lindo. (Latin America) | |
| I love the kitchen | Me encanta la cocina. | |
| It’s so cosy | Es muy acogedor. |
The reply you will get in all four countries is estás en tu casa, make yourself at home, or with usted está en su casa.
Work and skills
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Well done | ¡Bien hecho! / ¡Excelente! | ¡Bien hecho! / ¡Muy bien! | ¡Excelente! / ¡Muy bien! | ¡Bien ahí! / ¡Muy bien! |
| You’re brilliant | Eres un genio. | Eres un crack. / Eres una máquina. | Usted es un berraco. / Eres un duro. | Sos un genio. / Sos un capo. / Sos una máquina. |
| That turned out great | Te quedó muy bien. | Te ha quedado genial. | Le quedó muy bien. (usted) | Te quedó bárbaro. |
The notes:
- Crack in Spain and Argentina is a star performer, borrowed from football: eres un crack.
- Berraco in Colombia is someone brave or excellent at something: usted es un berraco para eso. It also means angry, so you tell which from tone and context.
- Duro in Colombia is someone very good: es un duro en programación.
- Capo in Argentina is a boss, an expert, a legend: sos un capo. Bárbaro means great, not barbaric.
- Bien ahí is an Argentine “nice one”, short and friendly.
At work, you say more with a specific compliment such as tu presentación fue muy clara, your presentation was very clear, than with excelente.
Taking a compliment
People in all four countries often deflect a compliment, especially about clothes. Deflecting is polite and nobody takes it as rudeness. A plain gracias is also fine.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you, that’s kind | Gracias, qué amable. | Everywhere |
| Do you think so? | ¿Tú crees? / ¿Vos decís? (Argentina) / ¿Usted cree? (Colombia) | The modest reply |
| It’s old | Es viejito. (Latin America) / Es viejo. / Tiene años. (Spain) | About clothes |
| It was cheap | Me lo compré en rebajas. (Spain) / Estaba en oferta. / Estaba en promoción. (Colombia) / Estaba en liquidación. (Argentina) | |
| I’m glad you like it | Me alegra que te guste. / Me alegro de que te guste. (Spain) | Subjunctive after alegrar |
| You too | Tú también. / Vos también. / Usted también. | |
| You look great too | Tú también estás muy guapa. / Vos también estás muy linda. | |
| It was nothing | No fue nada. / No es para tanto. | For praise about work |
What you will hear
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| ¡Qué guapo vienes! (Spain) | You look smart today |
| ¡Qué elegante! | How elegant! Often teasing, if you are overdressed |
| ¿Y eso? ¿Vas a algún lado? | What’s the occasion? Are you going somewhere? |
| Se te ve muy bien. | You look really well |
| Estás igualito / igualita. | You haven’t changed a bit |
| ¡Qué bien hablas español! | Your Spanish is so good! Reply: Gracias, estoy aprendiendo. |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Me encanta tu chaqueta. Te queda muy bien. I love your jacket. It suits you.
- Te quedó delicioso. ¿Me pasas la receta? It came out delicious. Will you give me the recipe?
- ¡Qué casa tan bonita! Tiene muy buena luz. What a lovely house! It has great light.
- ¡Qué padre tu depa! Your flat is so cool! (Mexico)
- Está buenísimo. ¿Puedo repetir? It’s delicious. Can I have seconds? (Spain)
- ¡Qué chévere! Le quedó muy bien. How great! You did it really well. (Colombia)
- Sos un capo. Te quedó bárbaro. You’re a star. It turned out great. (Argentina)
- Tu presentación fue muy clara. Your presentation was very clear.
- Gracias, qué amable. Me alegra que te guste. Thank you, that’s kind. I’m glad you like it.
- ¿Tú crees? Es viejito. You think so? It’s old.
Questions people ask
How do you say “you look beautiful” in Spanish? Estás preciosa or qué guapa estás in Spain, qué linda estás in Colombia and Argentina, te ves hermosa in Mexico. With estar it is about today; with ser it is about the person.
What is the difference between guapo, lindo and bonito? Guapo is good-looking, for people, and common in Spain and Mexico. Lindo is nice or lovely, for people and things, and the default in Argentina and Colombia. Bonito is pretty or nice, used everywhere, more often for things.
How do you say “this food is delicious”? You can say está delicioso, está riquísimo or está buenísimo in all four countries. With te quedó delicioso you credit the cook.
How do you say “cool” in Spanish? It depends on the country: padre or chido in Mexico, guay or chulo in Spain, chévere or bacano in Colombia, copado in Argentina.
Can I say “rico” about a person? Better not. About a person, people hear it as sexual in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Keep it for food.
How do I reply to a compliment in Spanish? Gracias, qué amable is safe everywhere. Deflecting with ¿tú crees? is normal and polite too.
What is a piropo? A line a man calls out to a woman he does not know, often in the street. Many people in all four countries now see it as harassment.
Practise these words
bonito, lindo, guapo, precioso, encantar, quedar, rico, delicioso, receta, elegante, amable, alegrar, chévere. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.