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Published on: Grammar Bites

¿Cómo decimos “to have a good time” en español?

Have you ever wondered what is the Spanish equivalent of “to have a good time”?

Although our initial instinct may be to say “tener un buen tiempo”, this is a literal translation that sounds confusing to native Spanish-speakers.

The correct answer is Pasar(lo)bien. We can use the phrase “pasar(lo) bien” in all types of expressions:

  • Lo pasamos muy bien en la fiesta. We had a great time at the party.
  • ¡Pásalo bien! Have a great time!
  • ¿Pasaste bien el Año Nuevo? Did you have a good time on New Year’s?
  • ¿Cómo pasaron el fin de semana? Lo pasamos muy bien; fuimos a la playa. Did you have a good weekend? We had a great time; we went to the beach.

We can also replace “bien” to form different expressions:

  • Lo pasamos muy mal durante el viaje; los niños se enfermaron. We had a terrible time during the trip; the kids got sick.
  • Lo pasé muy lindo en el parque esta mañana. I had a lovely time at the park this morning.

If we use or hear the phrase “tener un buen tiempo”, we are talking about the weather.

For example:

  • Tuvimos un buen tiempo en nuestras vacaciones. Estuvo soleado todos los días. We had a great weather during our vacations. It was sunny every day.
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