Need some help remembering when and how to use BUEN, BUENO and BIEN? Check out this easy grammar guide to speak Spanish confidently!
BUEN:
It’s a masculine adjective that drops the final ‘o’ when we place it in front of a singular masculine noun:
- Fernando es un buen amigo. Fernando is a good friend.
- Hoy es un buen día para descansar. Today is a good day to rest.
BUENO:
It’s an adjective that goes after a masculine noun, and we can use to:
a) Describe someone who has an agreeable and kind temper, disposition:
- El abuelo es muy bueno con todos sus nietos. Grandpa is very kind to all his grandkids.
b) Describe the good quality of a thing or object:
- Este reloj es muy bueno, lo tengo desde hace mucho tiempo. This watch is very good; I’ve had it for a long time.
c) Describe something that is delicious, tasty:
- El tiramisú que prepara mi madre es muy bueno. My mother’s tiramisu is really good.
d) Describe something that is convenient or beneficial:
- Es bueno hacer ejercicio para tener una buena salud. It’s good to work out to be healthy.
e) Describe that someone has the necessary skills, aptitudes, characteristics to work in a particular field/area:
- El pediatra de este centro médico es muy bueno. The pediatrician at this medical center is very good.
BIEN:
It’s an adverb of manner that means ‘correct and adequately’. We use ‘bien’ to indicate that something is done correctly (or not). This adverb describes actions, that’s why we always place it after the verb:
- Los chicos juegan muy bien al fútbol. The kids play soccer very well.
- Anoche no dormí bien. I didn’t sleep well last night.
