Difference between "guapa" and bonita"
I'm studying abroad in Spain, and I keep wondering what the connotation of each of these words is. Is "guapa" similar to saying someone is hot in English and "bonita" is more like saying someone is pretty? What is the difference?
9 Answers
Guapo and Guapa are use for persons, but bonita can be applied to many things.
Welcome to the forum Cas, unfortunately I am not a Spanish native but I hear "guapa "used quite often in our group discussions by the natives and I'm sure they are not necessarily in the "hot" category. More a term of endearment. Personally I am called "guapo" many times and I certainly don't fit the hot category. Hopefully some of the members from Spain will see this but it is late there right now so keep checking you post.
Guapo (m) or Guapa (f) means good-looking, while bonito (m) or bonita (f) means pretty. So that's basically it.
to say somone is "hot" you say "calente!" same as english
As an aside, I found that in Dominican Republic, guapo does not mean handsome or good looking. It means angry. I found out by complimenting (I thought) two boys by saying they were guapo. I got very odd expressions. i was then told that good looking in DR is lindo and that guapo means angry. Strange colloquilism.
In Madrid, you see people, even senior citizens, greeting each other on the street and exclaiming, "Qué guapa/o!" I think it translates to mean, "You look maaaarvelous!
I know that "guapa" can only refer to a female person. However, "bonita" can be anything (including people) that is feminine (by that, I mean is a feminine noun as opposed to masculine) and pretty.
My teacher uses "guapo/guapa" as "handsome" and "bonita" as pretty. Loooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeee!
When you see a Ferrari, for example, you exclaim: !Ostia, qué guapo!! or you listen a song that like you a lot, you say: "Está guapísima!
