When we learn a language, recognizing the grammatical categories that make it up becomes an excellent strategy for understanding and producing messages correctly. Grammatical categories give us information about words’ meaning, form, and function. The categories are:
- Verbs
- Nouns
- Adjectives
- Pronouns
- Determiners
- Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
Each of these is used differently and performs different functions in a sentence. The information provided by the categories is useful for many reasons: First, to know if the word makes sense in that sentence. Second, to determine which form works better in that structure. And, finally, we will be able to determine its function and, thus, where to place it.
Then, what is the difference between bien, bueno, and súper? They belong to different categories and therefore, they are used in different structures.
Meanings, Categories, and Uses
About bien
This word means “correctly”, and “properly”.
“Bien” is an Adverb. Adverbs are invariable words; they do not have plural or singular, nor feminine or masculine forms. Its function is to modify a verb or an adjective. When it modifies a verb, it fulfills the function of mode complement; it refers to HOW the action of the verb is carried out. For example, in the sentence “Me siento muy bien hoy” (=I feel very well today), the word “bien” modifies the verb “me siento”; you can figure this out by asking a question with the word “how”: “HOW do you feel?”.
Moreover, adverbs can also modify an adjective, intensifying its meaning: “Ese chico es bien inteligente”, or “Esta película está bien buena”. To be sure we are using it correctly, we can try replacing it with the word “muy”: “Ese chico es muy inteligente” or “Esta película está muy buena”.
Some popular collocations and fixed phrases with “bien” are:
● estar bien (=to be ok; to be correct)
Ex. ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien, ¿y tú?
Los ejercicios del examen están bien, tienes un 10.
● sentirse bien (=to feel well)
Ex. A: ¿Cómo te sientes?
B: Me siento bien, gracias.
● hacer bien (=to be beneficial)
Ex. Caminar al menos 10 minutos por día hace bien a la salud.
● ¡Qué bien! (=good, hurray)
Ex. A: Aprobé el examen de español.
B: ¡Qué bien!
● ¡Bien hecho! (=well done)
Ex. A: Conseguí mi licencia de conducir.
B: ¡Bien hecho! ¡Te felicito!
● caer bien (=to like someone in a friendly way)
Ex. La nueva vecina me cae muy bien, es muy simpática y amable.
● ir bien (=to go well)
Ex. A: ¿Cómo va tu nuevo trabajo?
B: ¡Va bien! Me encanta.
● bien por ti (=good for you)
Ex. A: ¡Conseguí un nuevo trabajo!
B: ¡Bien por ti!
About bueno (and buen)
When we talk about people, this word means: “of mild and kind character”. It can also mean: “beneficial”, and “of quality, that meets all the conditions required to fulfil its function well”. This last meaning could be applied to both people and things.
“Bueno” is an Adjective. Adjectives are variable words, and we use them to modify nouns; therefore, adjectives have to match in gender and number with the nouns they modify. This means that, if we talk about a singular feminine noun, we will say “una profesora buena” o “una buena película”.
This adjective can be placed before or after nouns (although the meaning can change a bit). In case you place it before the noun, the masculine singular changes into *buen, for example: “un buen libro” o “un buen momento”
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | |
|---|---|---|
| FEMININE | buena | buenas |
| MASCULINE | bueno (*buen) | buenos |
Some popular collocations and fixed phrases with “bueno” are:
● ser bueno para/con (=to be good; to be of good quality; to be beneficial; to have skills in a certain subject)
Ex. Tomar 2 litros de agua por día es bueno para la salud.
Matías es bueno con los deportes.
● estar bueno (=to be interesting or enjoyable; when referring to a person, the meaning is to be attractive)
Ex. La última película de Marvel está muy buena.
Tu amigo está muy bueno, ¿cómo se llama?
● ¡Qué bueno! (=Good! Nice!)
Ex. A: Me encantó el paseo.
B: ¡Qué bueno!
● Bueno… (=well, hesitation mark)
Ex. Y, bueno… No sé qué más decir…
About súper
It has a superlative meaning; “superior or magnificent”.
“Súper” is an Adjective (and occasionally an Adverb). Unlike other adjectives, “súper” is invariable, which means that we can use this word with masculine or feminine, singular and plural nouns; the form does not change. For example, we can say: “una súper fiesta”, “un súper festival” o “unos súper amigos.” “Súper” is more common in the spoken language, since its use is more informal.
Occasionally, “súper” can work as an Adverb meaning “magnificently.” If that is the case, it will serve as a modifier for verbs or adjectives, as in this example:
“Lo pasamos súper en la fiesta.”
Bien vs Bueno vs Super – Quiz/Worksheet
> Choose one of the following words to complete the sentences. Which one fits better? *In some sentences, it could be more than one option.
¿bien, bueno, buen, buenos, buena, buenas o súper?
1. Los doctores dicen que caminar al menos 10 minutos por día es ______ para la circulación.
2. Me enteré que te ganaste un premio, ¡qué _____! _____ por ti.
3. A pesar de que estaba frío, pasamos unos días ______ divertidos en Buenos Aires
4. Quisiera que me recomendaras un _____ libro para estas vacaciones, ¿se te ocurre alguno? El último que me recomendaste estaba _____ bueno, me encantó.
5. La profesora de español es muy ______ con sus estudiantes, siempre explica todo muy ______ para que no haya dudas.
Answers:
1. bueno – 2. bueno/bien – bien – 3. súper/bien – 4. buen – súper/bien – 5. buena – bien
About the Author:
Specializations: Spanish Tutors on Zoom
Bio: I'm Erika, I’m 30 years old and I’m from Argentina. I'm a certified Spanish tutor. I’ve been teaching Spanish to foreigners since 2015. In 2017, I started teaching Spanish online. I have also worked in the US as the Spanish House Director at McDaniel College, MD. I keep studying the language and topics related to it. I love my language and culture and really enjoy sharing the knowledge with others! I invite you to try one of my classes and learn together!