Bueno, es feo.
Well, he's ugly.
Holding a baby in an apartment, he says the first thing that comes to mind and softens it with bueno, the Spanish "well".
From Los cazafantasmas 2 · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "ugly" in Spanish
feo
adjectivefeminine: feaplural: feos
"Ugly" in Spanish is feo. Like most adjectives it changes to fea for feminine nouns: un edificio feo, una pizarra fea. It also describes behavior, so ¡Qué feo! can mean "that wasn't nice" after someone does something rude.
Hear "feo" in real movie scenes
A blunt verdict on a baby and a protest on the phone. Each video starts and stops on that line.
No soy fea.
I'm not ugly.
In her bedroom, she protests on the phone with a straight face, and since she's talking about herself, feo becomes fea.
From La cruda verdad · Spanish audio
Feo and its relatives
From a little ugly to downright hideous.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| feo, fea | ugly |
| feísimo, feísima | very ugly |
| feíto, feíta | a bit ugly, said kindly |
| ¡Qué feo! | How ugly! / That's not nice! |
| el patito feo | the ugly duckling |
| huele feo | it smells bad (Latin America) |
Tip: In Spain, hacer un feo means to snub someone, for example by turning down food they offer you.
Grammar: feo, fea
Four points about form and meaning.
Match the noun
feo, fea, feos, feas. The ending follows the noun: un zapato feo, unas sillas feas.Where it goes
Next to a noun, feo comes after it: una mesa fea. With ser, it follows the verb: La mesa es fea.Very ugly
Say muy feo, or add -ísimo: feísimo, with a written accent over the í.Bad smells and tastes
In much of Latin America, feo also means unpleasant: huele feo (it smells bad), sabe feo (it tastes bad).Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es un objeto feo.
It's an ugly object.
La pizarra vieja es fea.
The old blackboard is ugly.
El zapato es estrecho y feo.
The shoe is tight and ugly.
Viejo y feo.
Old and ugly.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la pizarra feo
✓la pizarra fea
Pizarra ends in -a and is feminine, so it needs fea.
✗feisimo
✓feísimo
Write the accent on the í: fe-Í-si-mo.
✗FEE-oh (pronunciation)
✓FEH-oh
The Spanish e is short and clear, like the e in pet.
Real conversation: a gift at the market
A short exchange at a market stall. Tap to listen.
At a market stall, the vendor pulls something out from under the counter that could make a nice gift.
Aquí está. Es un regalo.
Here it is. It's a gift.
¡Qué bonito!
How pretty!
Pues no. Es viejo y feo.
Well, no. It's old and ugly.
Your turn to answer
In the app you write the last reply in Spanish.
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The other 32 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Feo and foe use the same three letters. Picture your worst foe in the ugliest sweater you can imagine.
Questions about "ugly" in Spanish
How do you say ugly in Spanish?
Feo: un perro feo. Next to a feminine noun it turns into fea, and the plurals are feos and feas.
What does "qué feo" mean?
¡Qué feo! means "how ugly!". About something a person did, it means "that's not nice".
How do you say "very ugly" in Spanish?
Muy feo, or feísimo when you want more force.
What is the opposite of feo?
Bonito for things and guapo or guapa for people. In Latin America, lindo is very common too.
