What Does Muy Bien Mean In Spanish?

One of the first phrases you’ll learn in any Spanish course is muy bien.

What does muy bien mean?

Muy bien simply and directly translates to “very good” or “very well”, but it can often be used as an interjection meaning “okay” as well.

The meaning of muy bien will depend on the context in which it’s used. Keep reading and I’ll explain this in detail.

Muy bien meanings and translations

Very good

We’ve already covered how to say good in Spanish, which is bueno (m.) or buena (f.).

However, we don’t typically say muy bueno or muy buena when saying something is “very good”. Instead, we use bien which is an adverbial form of “good”.

A good use case here would be either exclaiming that something (or someone) is “very good” (e.g. a child does something praiseworthy), or offering congratulations to someone.

Very well

Since bien is an adverb, “very well” is the more literal and proper translation of muy bien.

If someone asks “how are you” in Spanish, muy bien is usually the most suitable response.

Responding with muy bien is a short way of saying, “I’m doing very well.”

¿Cómo estás?

How are you?

Muy bien, gracias.

Very well, thanks.

Okay (interjection)

In English, it used to be quite common to hear “very well/good” as an interjection meaning “Okay/alright then…”

Some people (older generations) still do this today.

Well, in Spanish this is also quite common.

Muy bien (or just bien or bueno) can be used as an interjection in the same way.

Used accordingly, it’s another way to agree with the person you’re responding to.

Well done

In addition to terms like ¡bravo!, ¡bien hecho! and ¡maravilloso!, you can simply tell someone ¡muy bien! when they’ve achieved something exceptionally good.

This is the equivalent of well done! in English.

Summary

Muy bien can translate to “very good”, “very well”, “well done” or even “okay”, depending on the context.

To follow on from this, see my other related guides:

• How are you in Spanish
• Good in Spanish
• Congratulations in Spanish

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