What is the Difference Between "Bonita," "Linda," and "Hermosa"?
Lesson from spanishdict.
1 bonita
=beautiful, pretty, lovely
2 linda
= cute, pretty, lovely
3 hermosa
= gorgeous, beautiful, lovely
While all three of these word are very nice things to say to someone, they're not exactly the same. Bonita is closer to beautiful,* lindo* to cute or nice, and* hermosato* gorgeous. All three can be said about people, pets, or things, but* hermosa* in particular can carry a note of seduction or sexuality, depending on the situation.
- *****¿Quién es esa niña tan bonita?***
Who's that pretty girl?
- ¡Qué gatita más linda!
What a cute kitten!
- Me encantas, hermosa.
You really turn me on, gorgeous.
Bonita, linda and* hermosa* can only be used to talk about female people or things. To talk about male people or things, you should use bonito Lindo or hermoso When used to describe males, the translations may change a bit
- ¿Quién es ese niño tan bonito?
Who's that handsome boy?
- Qué gatito más lindo!
What a cute kitten!
- Me encantas, hermoso.
You really turn me on, gorgeous.
Guapa and guapo* are also great words to use to flatter someone. Normally used only to talk about people, these words mean good-looking.
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Be careful there may be regional differences in their usages.
Try a few sentences using all of these in both languages .
3 Answers
Great lesson. I'd just like to add something. From my own experience "bonita" and "linda" are pretty much interchangeable in daily life. Anyway, there are regional differences. Sometimes the same term could be understood differently in two different Spanish speaking places, even within the same country. I think the distinction made between both words in the lesson is very useful, although completely new to me, maybe because of my specific background. "Hermosa" could be used with a romantic bias as much as in several other conditions. "Esa casa es realmente hermosa" - That house is really beautiful. "Son hermosas las playas del Caribe" - The beaches in the Caribbean are beautiful. "Recuerdo las hermosas palabras de mi madre" - I remember my mother's beautiful words. "Una mujer tan hermosa estaría mejor acompañada" - Such a beautiful woman would be much better with a company.
It is generally perceived by the Spanish speakers that the real functional difference between "bonita" / "linda" and "hermosa" is a matter of degree. Anyway being open and flexible to learn regional interpretations is always the best.
My dictionary differentiates like this.
Es bonito ver a la familia tan unida. / It’s nice to see such a close family.
divertirse de lo lindo / to have a great time
¡Qué niño más hermoso! What a big, healthy baby!
Maybe this is just regional but I use "bonita" for "pretty," "lindo/a" for either "pretty" or "cute" and "hermosa" o "bella" for beautiful. In my area you hear "guapo/a" a LOT. You also hear the superlative "guapísimo/guapísima." translated very handsome-good looking (guys) and "very very beautiful" (gals)
Now this is "guapísima."
This is guapísimo
