guapo/-a vs. bonito/-a
I want to make sure how you describe people's faces usually.
Do you use "guapo" to describe a hansome man but use "bonita" to describe a pretty woman?
Or, do you use "guapa" to describe a hansome woman but use "bonito" to describe a pretty man?
Do the two words mean the same or not?
7 Answers
I asked a similar question about a year ago. In English we have a group of words to describe attractiveness in a man or woman and we all sort of understand how the various descriptions rank. Not perfectly of course as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So I wanted to know how to rank words like linda, bonita, hermosa, bella, guapa, etc. Kind of like cute, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous in English. The results of the question and 6 years of living in Mexico? I know very little more now than I did then.
- Linda, preciosa, adorable = cute, precious, adorable. I use these with children.
- Bonita and hermosa = pretty, can be used with things and people. I rank bonita above hermosa but I'm not sure natives would do the same.
- Bella = beautiful. Model and some TV personalities.
- Bellisima = gorgeous = a perfect 10.
- Guapa = attractive. The girl next door kind of attractiveness.
Warning: This is a gringo's interpretation and by no means should it be relied on when speaking Spanish. Do so at your own risk and liability. Lol.
PS: You are almost always safe using guapa.
First of all, I think with bonita / linda, guapa / hermosa, the rules are not set in stone. In fact, I don't believe there are rules at all, rather general "guidelines" one can follow.
But in all honesty, one person will use one word and the next person will use the other. Just pay attention to what native speakers say and you'll quickly pick up on the common usage of these words.
With that in mind, here's my take on things, "ranked" from low to high. And by not being a native speaker, I could be way off base. This ranking is based my interpretation of the things I've heard and conversations I've had. You could probably rearrange this list and it would still be right.
Linda, preciosa, bonita = cute, precious, adorable. You can use these with young girls/women, places and things.
Lindo, precioso, bonito = cute, precious, adorable. First things first, men are never bonito (well, to my knowledge). It's OK for really young boys. This can be used with things and places as well.
Guapa = very pretty. Used with women of all ages to my knowledge. Guapisima is a step up, like extremely pretty. It's a very strong compliment.
Guapo = Handsome. Used with males of all ages to my knowledge.
Guapisimo is a step up, like really handsome. It's a very strong compliment.
Hermosa = Beautiful/pretty. = Can be used with things and women. Hermosisima = You're talking super fine.
Hermoso = Handsome/good looking. Can be used with things and men. Hermosisimo = You're talking really good looking.
Bella = I think of this as movie star beauty, models.
Bellisima = Model beauty on steroids.
Bello / Bellisimo = Same as bella, but for dudes. I rarely hear this.
For men you also have another option, gálan -- a hunk.
Let's not forget attractivo/a -- attractive. This is much more straight-forward.
And if you add the word "re" in front of these when giving out compliments it's yet another way to add emphasis -- reguapa, rehermoso
A woman can and will use bonito or guapo/apuesto.
a man will use apuesto to refer to a man.
Guapo = person. Bonito = thing, object.
Podemos decir que un hombre es guapo y una mujer guapa o linda.
La vista es buena o bonita, ¡ Que bonita vista!
Una potra o una perrita puede ser bonita.
I have not heard "bonito" used to describe a man, "guapo" is usually used. I do hear "guapa" used to refer to a good looking woman.
I was just looking over annierats comment about the word potra which was mysteriously familiar to me for some reason, and I just remembered why: I wrote a blog post this very subject a while back.
I talk about a few other words like guapetón/guapetona, yegua, diosa and a few ways to tell someone they have a smoking hot body.
Check it out:
