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bien

well

adverb byehn Common

Origin: From Latin bene.

Also means

good

Usage Note

Bien as an adverb modifies verbs (habla bien — speaks well) and is the adverb corresponding to the adjective bueno. After estar it describes a state: estoy bien (I'm fine/well). Crucially, ser vs estar with bien/bueno differs: es bueno (he is a good person) vs está bien (he is well/it's OK). ¡Bien! alone is an exclamation of approval. It cannot substitute bueno as a noun adjective modifying a noun directly.

Examples

"Hablas español muy bien."

Natural Translation

You speak Spanish very well.

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