Es precioso.
It's beautiful.
Something is so beautiful that you go quiet for a second.
From Jóvenes y brujas · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "beautiful" in Spanish
precioso
adjectivefeminine: preciosaplural: preciosos
Spanish has several words for "beautiful". Precioso is the warm, everyday one: ¡Es precioso! People also say hermoso, bonito and, across Latin America, lindo. All of them change to -a for feminine nouns.
Hear "precioso" in real scenes
Two scenes where someone says it. Each video starts and stops on that line.
La vida es preciosa.
Life is beautiful.
The kind of sentence people say even after a hard day.
From The Office · Spanish audio
Precioso, hermoso, bonito or lindo?
They overlap a lot. Region and strength decide which one sounds natural.
| Word | When people use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| precioso | Warm and a little emotional; very common in Spain | ¡Qué vista más preciosa! What a beautiful view! |
| hermoso | Stronger, a bit formal or poetic | un día hermoso (a beautiful day) |
| bonito | Pretty, nice; the everyday word in Spain | una casa bonita (a pretty house) |
| lindo | The everyday word in much of Latin America | ¡Qué lindo! How lovely! |
| guapo | Good-looking, for people; mainly Spain | un chico guapo (a good-looking guy) |
Tip: In everyday speech precioso means beautiful. The older meaning "precious" lives on in piedras preciosas, precious stones.
Grammar: precioso, preciosa
What changes, and what to watch in pronunciation.
Four forms
precioso, preciosa, preciosos, preciosas. It agrees with the noun: la torre es preciosa.¡Qué precioso!
¡Qué precioso! How beautiful! It's the most common way to react to something lovely.Two pronunciations
In Latin America: pre-SYO-so. In most of Spain the c sounds like th: pre-THYO-so.With ser
Es precioso. It's beautiful. Use ser to describe how something looks.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
El bolso es precioso.
The bag is beautiful.
La vida es preciosa.
Life is beautiful.
La torre es preciosa.
The tower is beautiful.
El zapato es precioso.
The shoe is beautiful.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗La torre es precioso
✓La torre es preciosa
Torre is feminine, so the adjective ends in -a.
✗Es muy precioso (meaning expensive)
✓Es muy caro
Precioso is about beauty. For price, say caro.
✗¡Qué lindo! (in Madrid)
✓¡Qué bonito!
People in Spain understand lindo, but bonito sounds more natural there.
Real conversation: the view from above
A short dialog at a lookout over the city. Tap to listen.
The local tour guide shows you the view.
¡Mira! Qué paisaje, ¿verdad?
Look! What a view, right?
¡Sí, es precioso!
Yes, it's beautiful!
Yo quiero comprar una casa aquí.
I want to buy a house here.
Your turn to answer the guide
In the app you finish the conversation and answer in Spanish for the last 3 lines.
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What do you hear in the video?
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How to remember it
Precioso looks like precious. Think of something so beautiful that it feels precious to you.
Questions about "beautiful" in Spanish
How do you say beautiful in Spanish?
Precioso, hermoso, bonito or lindo. Precioso and bonito are very common in Spain, lindo in Latin America, and hermoso sounds a little stronger.
How do you say "you're beautiful" in Spanish?
To a woman: eres preciosa or eres hermosa. To a man: eres precioso, or eres guapo in Spain.
Does precioso mean precious?
In everyday speech it means beautiful. The meaning "precious" survives in piedras preciosas, precious stones.
