Why "bien" and not "bienes"

Question

I was talking to my friend from Venezuela and I said "Los hijos están bienes" but he told me it should be "Los hijos están bien"... He said that "bien" is a neutral adjective. I'm an advanced speaker and I've never heard of such a thing. But I know that you need to say "están buenos"... So why "están buenos" but not "están bienes"...and by the way, I know know that the word "bienes" means "goods" (as in merchandise).

'están buenos' is incorrect it's 'están bien' like 'they're good' and 'they are well' ;) it's an adverb not and adjective and yes 'bienes' is a noun 'assets-goods.etc' - Pablo064, Feb 13, 2016

Nice question. I hope you learned from it as well as the rest of us. - Jubilado, Feb 13, 2016

Answer 1

"Bien" is used as an adverb or a noun. Only as a noun is when it can be used in the plural.

Bueno/a is the adjective.

Any corrections are welcome.

Answer 2

I have never heard of a "neutral adjective" and would like to hear more about it. For me, bien is an adverb modifying the verb están, not an adjective modifying the noun hijos, and hence doesn't change based on whether nearby nouns are singular or plural (or masculine or feminine).

This is the answer I would give. - Daniela2041, Feb 13, 2016

Good, clear answer. - annierats, Feb 13, 2016

Thumbs up from me! Since "estar" is not a copula like "ser" it can take an adverb. - Jubilado, Feb 13, 2016

Answer 3

El negocio les va muy bien. / Their business is doing very well. = adverb

Iré, bien en tren, o bien en autocar. / I’ll go either by train or by coach. = conjunction

Son de familia bien. / They’re from a well-to-do family. = adjective

los bienes de un país / the wealth of a country = noun

In English when someone asks "How are you?"

A reply of "I am good" (bien) is incorrect English. It should be "I am well."

A very complete answer, covers everything! - 00cc0117, Feb 14, 2016

¡Que bien que sabes! - Jubilado, Feb 14, 2016

Thanks. - 00551866, Feb 14, 2016

Answer 4

You have similar words, but the context of their use makes the meanings different. Jubilado should answer this!

Gracias Pablo. - 00cc0117, Feb 13, 2016

Thanks, David, for your confidence! Also thanks for the vote and comment on my old post about irregular tú command forms. Member jtaniel has correctly addressed this question. - Jubilado, Feb 13, 2016