Praising or saying nice things to someone in Spanish is an easy way to break the ice. But it’s also great to encourage and show appreciation to your friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances. If you’re unsure what to say, you should learn some common compliments in Spanish.
Complimenting and praising is a basic interaction when learning a new language. For that reason, in this article, you’ll find 49 common Spanish compliments that you can use in different situations. These praises are classified into:
By the end of it, you’ll be able to give compliments in Spanish.
Take Note: Halago, cumplido or piropo are the words you use to say ‘compliment’ in Spanish. To say ‘give a compliment’, you can use halagar, elogiar, decir un piropo, or hacer un cumplido.
Compliments in Spanish for Her & Him
Many Spanish compliments can be used for both men and women. These expressions can be used to praise personality or physical traits. Below, you’ll find a table with the best compliments for her and him in Spanish.
| Spanish Compliment | English Compliment |
|---|---|
| Eres muy guapo/guapa | You’re very handsome / You’re beautiful |
| Eres el/la mejor | You’re the best |
| Eres lo máximo | You’re the best |
| Eres muy agradable | You’re very nice |
| Eres muy divertido / Eres muy divertida | You’re very funny |
| Eres muy buena onda | You’re very cool |
| Eres muy lindo/linda | You’re so nice / You’re very cute |
| Eres muy atractivo | You’re very attractive |
| Eres la persona más [adjetivo] que he conocido | You’re the (most) [adjective] person I’ve ever met |
| Esa/ese [ropa] se queda muy bien | That [clothing] suits you very well |
| Estás muy bueno/buena | You’re very hot |
| Me encanta tu [cualidad] | I love your [trait] |
| Nunca cambies | Never change |
| ¡Qué bonita/bonito [parte del cuerpo] tienes! | You have such a beautiful [body part] |
| ¡Qué bien te ves! | You look very good! / You look great! |
| ¡Qué guapo/guapa! | How handsome! / How pretty! |
| ¡Qué lindo/linda! | You’re so cute! |
| Te ves increíble | You look amazing |
| Te ves muy bien | You look great |
| Te ves muy bonita / Te ves muy guapo | You look lovely / You look very handsome |
Here are some examples of how to use these compliments. You can change the conjugation of the verb depending on whom you’re addressing:
¡Qué bonita sonrisa tienes!
You have such a beautiful smile!
Me encanta tu sentido del humor.
I love your sense of humor.
Esa camisa te queda muy bien.
That t-shirt suits you very well.
Guau, ¡se ven muy bien, chicos!
Wow, you look great, guys!
Take Note: Me encanta and quedar are verbs like ‘gustar’, meaning their conjugations must be plural or singular depending on the thing you love about that person or the clothing you’re talking about.
Although many compliments in Spanish are suitable for men and women, some praises are specific for each gender. For example:
Compliments for her
- Eres muy bonita – You’re very pretty
- Eres un mujerón – You’re a great women
- Te ves muy bonita – You look very pretty
Compliments for him
- Eres un tipazo – You’re a great guy
Tip: To further expand your vocabulary, you can check these articles to learn other ways to say handsome or call a girl beautiful in Spanish.
Compliments for Students and the Workplace
Spanish compliments can be very handy when praising a co-worker or classmate. Since these praises usually refer to the effort and work done, you can also use them in work environments.
The table below shows you some expressions you can use to say nice things in either of these situations.
| Spanish Compliment | English Compliment |
|---|---|
| Bien hecho | Well done / Good job / Right on |
| Buen trabajo | Good job / Nice going |
| Eres muy [adjetivo] | You’re very [adjective] |
| Está excelente | It’s excellent / It’s great |
| Está de primera | First-class |
| Estás haciendo un excelente trabajo | You’re doing a great job |
| Estoy muy impresionado | I’m very impressed |
| Excelente | Excellent / Great / Superb |
| Felicidades | Congratulations / Kudos |
| Has mejorado mucho | You’ve improved a lot |
| Mucho mejor | Much better |
| Muy bien | Very good / Well done |
| Muy bien hecho | Very well done |
| ¡Qué buen [sustantivo]! | Great [noun]! |
| Sigue así | Keep up the good work |
| Te superaste a ti mismo | You outdid yourself |
Many of these phrases can work on their own. However, with some of these expressions, you can mention the specific task you’re praising. You can also give a compliment by combining two of these phrases.
Tu presentación está de primera.
Your presentation is first-class.
¡Excelente ensayo! Te superaste a ti mismo.
Great essay! You outdid yourself.
¡Mucho mejor! Sigue así.
Much better! Keep up the good work.
Tip: The structure eres muy + adjective allows you to create a wide range of compliments in Spanish. You can replace this placeholder with an adjective of personality that describes suitable traits for the workplace.
Food Compliments
When someone cooks for you, complimenting them is an excellent way to show gratitude. Here are some food compliments that you can use in Spanish.
| Spanish Compliment | English Compliment |
|---|---|
| Está buenísimo / Está bueno | It’s so good / It’s delicious |
| Está deliciosa | It’s delicious |
| Está muy sabroso | It’s so tasty / flavorful |
| ¡Está como para chuparse los dedos! | It’s finger-licking good! |
| Mis felicitaciones para el chef | My compliments to the chef / Kudos to the chef |
| ¡Qué rico está el [plato]! | The [dish] is delicious! / The [dish] is so tasty |
| Te/Le quedó muy bueno | It’s delicious / It’s tasty |
| Todo estuvo delicioso | Everything was delicious |
| Todo estuvo riquísimo | Everything was so tasty |
To make things clear, you can mention the dish you’re complementing. For instance:
[Dish] + [Spanish compliment]
La sopa está buenísima.
The soup is so good.
Los tacos están deliciosos.
The tacos are so delicious.
¡Qué ricas están las galletas, má!
The cookies are delicious, mom!
Notice that when a compliment in Spanish is built with an adjective, you need to change the verb and adjective to match the gender and number of the dish you’re complementing.
Take Note: When using the questioning word ‘qué’ in an exclamatory sentence, the order of the elements is inverted. Take sentence #3 as an example. Unlike the other statements, in this example, the adjective is placed before the verb and the noun.
Wrapping Up
You’ve learned some of the best compliments in Spanish in this article. ¡Buen trabajo! Now, it’s time for you to go and start using them! Buena suerte.