Best word for nice? Friendly?

Question

Which is better to describe someone as "nice"?

Amable? Simpático / simpática?

Then how about "friendly"?

Or are they interchangeable?

Thanks!

I thought of amable when I read the title. - EL_MAG0, Sep 17, 2011

Answer 1

They are not interchangeable. Amable is friendly, Simpático is cool (cool is also nice, but not in the same way as amable which is like, helping you out nice VS just generally being nice and cool like your friend might be) - he's pretty cool. Es bastante simpático. Your friend is simpático, the guy that helped you jump your car was amable and your friend's sister is agradable.

That may be true in your area, Jeezzle, but simpático here means "a nice guy" and is very close to "amable." - --Mariana--, Sep 17, 2011

Hmm.. Have you read "Breakign out of Beginners Spansih?" (very popular) He says it does not mean nice but cool. For me, I hvae been corrected that Maria is "simpatico" while a guy I don't know is "amable" becuase Maria is my friend. - jeezzle, Sep 17, 2011

Answer 2

I believe they are all interchangeable. You can also use amistoso.

Simpático / simpática can mean nice, likable or even sympathetic.

I think I personally would go with amable or amistoso because I have heard them used in this context for friendly. But a native might have better advice.

Sorry, I'm tired. I thought you were looking for the best word for friendly. So, I think I would choose simpático . - Nicole-B, Sep 17, 2011

Lesson learned. Don't answer under the influence of severe fatigue!!! :) - Nicole-B, Sep 17, 2011