Giving compliments is a universal gesture, allowing us to tell others that we admire something about them. Compliments in Spanish follow a lot of the same formats that you’re familiar with in English, while there are plenty of unique expressions you’ll also find useful.

In this post we’ll start with some of the most common Spanish compliments, and then focus on ways to compliment people in more specific situations. Finally, we’ll cover how to best respond when people offer you compliments in Spanish.

Before we get started though, let’s just make clear what we mean when we talk about compliments. In short, compliments include the different ways you can tell someone you admire something you observe in them.

Sometimes compliments are used to please or flatter, sometimes they’re biased in order to encourage the recipient to feel better about themselves, sometimes they’re used to wish congratulations, and so on. We can give and receive compliments in a handful of contexts, be this personal, romantic, familial, social, academic, or professional.

So, let’s dive into these different contexts and learn a bunch of compliments in Spanish!

The Most Common Compliments in Spanish

Let’s start with the most common compliments. These phrases can be considered expressions, though since they convey a compliment it’s good to take them as such.

Qué (noun) más (adjective)

What a (adjective) (noun)

You’ll hear this one all the time, used in any circumstance. Variations include replacing the qué with vaya, or replacing the más with tan. They all mean the same thing.

What a (adjective) (noun) – Qué (adjective) tan (noun) – Vaya (adjective) más (noun)

• What a nice skirt! – ¡Qué falda más bonita!

• What an elegant watch! – ¡Qué reloj más elegante!

• What a handsome boy! – ¡Qué chico tan guapo!

• What a handsome boy! – ¡Vaya chico tan guapo!

Se te da muy bien (activity)

You are really good at (activity)

This one is used to compliment someone’s capabilities at doing some activity.

A variant of this expression can also use qué bien at the beginning, which translates as how well. The English equivalent of the expression can also be translated with a few variations:

You’re so good at (activity) – (activity) comes natural to you – How well you (activity) – Qué bien se te da (activity)

• You are really good at writing! – ¡Se te da muy bien la escritura!

• You’re so good at writing! – ¡Qué bien se te da la escritura!

Estás (adjective)

You look (adjective)

In this case, estás is used specifically to refer to someone’s look.

• You look beautiful. – Estás hermosa.

• You look so stylish. – Estás muy elegante.

¡Cómo me gusta tu (noun)!

I really like your (noun)!

The cómo expresses that we really like something.

• I really like your jacket! – ¡Cómo me gusta tu chaqueta!

Spanish Compliments for Someone’s Looks

This is probably the most obvious type of compliment. We use the same adjectives for both men and women, just changing the ending to agree with the gender. Before we get into the phrases, let’s just go over some key vocabulary for complimenting someone’s looks in Spanish.

The safest adjective for indicating that someone looks attractive is guapo/a. The rest of the adjectives have an implicit emotional component and are better used when you already have some bond with the person you’re complimenting, whether romantic or platonic.

Now let’s take a look at the easiest phrases we can make using these adjectives to give compliments in Spanish:

• You are (adjective). – Tú eres (adjective) [when the person always has this quality]

• You are (adjective). – Tú estás (adjective) [when the person has this quality at this moment]

• You look (adjective). – Te ves (adjective).

If you want to compliment someone’s general characteristics you can also describe them with these adjectives, or you can just say that you like them using gustar. Let’s see some examples:

• I like your eyes. – Me gustan tus ojos.

• Your eyes are beautiful. – Tus ojos son hermosos.

• You have beautiful eyes. – Tienes ojos hermosos.

• Your smile is beautiful. – Tu sonrisa es hermosa.

• You look gorgeous. – Te ves muy bonita.

• I like your jacket. – Me gusta tu chaqueta.

• You (a woman) are really gorgeous. – Eres muy guapa.

• You (a man) are really handsome. – Eres muy guapo.

• He is so gorgeous. – Él es muy hermoso.

• She looks stunning today. – Ella se ve espectacular hoy.

• You have a great style. – Tienes un gran estilo.

Spanish Compliments for Personality Traits

This one is easier than the previous one. You just use the verb to be in Spanish and add the adjective! That alone will give you the sentence. Remember that we usually use the verb estar since the person’s attribute generally always applies them. Still, you can use ser when the characteristic just applies at the moment.

• You are so funny! – ¡Eres muy gracioso!

• He is fascinating. – Él es fascinante.

• She is lovely. – Ella es encantadora.

• You are so sweet. – Eres muy dulce.

• You are very kind. – Eres muy amable.

• He is such a treasure! – ¡Él es un tesoro!

• She is in good shape. – Ella está en buena forma.

Here’s a handy list of adjectives you can use to offer compliments in Spanish about someone’s personality traits:

Spanish Compliments for Outstanding Work

Some compliments are particularly relevant in a work context. These don’t need much additional explanation:

• Good job. – Buen trabajo.

• You did well. – Lo hiciste muy bien.

• I appreciate your work. – Aprecio tu trabajo.

• Your CV is impressive. – Tu currículum es impresionante.

• You have a way with words. – Eres bueno con las palabras.

• I loved your presentation. – Me encantó tu presentación.

• I really liked your proposal. – Me gustó mucho tu propuesta.

• What a great idea! – ¡Qué buena idea!

• I appreciate your work. – Aprecio tu trabajo.

• Your performance fulfilled my expectations. – Tu rendimiento cumplió con mis expectativas.

• You did an excellent job. – Hiciste un excelente trabajo.

• I’m proud of you. – Estoy orgulloso de ti.

Here are some of the most common adjectives for making work-related compliments in Spanish:

Spanish Compliments for Students

This type of compliment can be very similar to the ones for outstanding work. Here are a few of them:

• Congratulations on the excellent work. – Felicitaciones por el excelente trabajo.

• You’re doing great! – ¡Lo estás haciendo muy bien!

• You’re on the right path. – Vas por buen camino.

• You’re a dedicated student. – Eres un estudiante aplicado.

• You’re brilliant! – ¡Eres brillante!

• You did an outstanding job. – Hiciste un trabajo excepcional.

• That was very impressive. – Eso fue muy impresionante.

• You have a great future ahead of you. – Tienes un gran futuro por delante.

• You have a lot of potential. – Tienes mucho potencial.

• You are really diligent and responsible. – Eres muy diligente y responsable.

• You are so smart and efficient! – ¡Eres muy inteligente y eficiente!

• That’s coming along really well. – Eso te está saliendo muy bien.

• You have really improved! – ¡Has mejorado mucho!

• You’ve worked hard. – Has trabajado duro.

• I can see a difference in your work. – Puedo ver una diferencia en tu trabajo.

• I couldn’t have done it better myself. – No podría haberlo hecho mejor.

• I’m proud of you. – Estoy orgullosa de ti.

Spanish Compliments for Children

If you’re aiming to compliment babies, here’s a list of things you can say:

• What a cute child! – ¡Qué niño tan lindo!

• She is so cute! – ¡Ella es muy tierna!

• What a handsome little boy! – ¡Qué pequeñito tan guapo!

• He looks so strong! – ¡Él se ve muy fuerte!

• She looks so delicate! – ¡Ella se ve tan delicada!

If you want some compliments in Spanish for kids who are growing up:

• You’re so well behaved! – ¡Eres tan obediente!

• You have a great future ahead of you! – ¡Tienes un gran futuro por delante!

• You’re such a respectful child! – ¡Eres una niña tan respetuosa!

• You’re a great son. – Eres un gran hijo.

• You are so bright! – ¡Eres tan brillante!

• You are a fighter and you can do anything. – Eres un luchador y puedes hacer lo que sea.

• You are an extraordinary child! – ¡Eres una niña extraordinaria!

• You are so strong. – Eres muy fuerte.

• You are a wonderful child. – Eres una niña maravillosa.

• I’m so proud of you. – Estoy muy orgullosa de ti.

Spanish Compliments in Personal and Romantic Contexts

Here are a few things to tell that special someone in your life:

• You make me want to be a better person. – Me haces querer ser una mejor persona.

• You are enough. – Eres suficiente.

• You are the light of my life. – Eres la luz de mi vida.

• You inspire me. – Tú me inspiras.

• You make my days better. – Haces mis mejores días.

• I love you just the way you are. – Te amo de la manera en la que eres.

• You’re one of a kind. – Eres una en un millón.

• You always make me smile. – Siempre me haces sonreír.

• You’re such a blessing. – Eres una gran bendición.

• You are a great friend. – Eres una gran amiga.

• You are a good boyfriend. – Eres un buen novio.

• You are always there for me. – Siempre estás ahí para mí.

• I love spending time with you. – Amo pasar tiempo contigo.

• I love you for who you are. – Te amo por quien eres.

Spanish Compliments in Family Contexts

When you want to compliment someone in the family, you can just use the adjectives we learned in some of the previous sections and apply them to the family members in question:

• Pedro is such a great father. – Pedro es un gran padre.

• She is a great daughter. – Ella es una gran hija.

• You are a really good daughter. – Eres una muy buena hija.

• He is a really respectful son. – Él es un hijo muy respetuoso.

• She is a really affectionate niece. – Ella es una sobrina muy cariñosa.

Spanish Compliments for Events

For this one, on events such as weddings, graduations, work opportunities, the birth of a child, etc., you can just say felicitaciones por… to wish someone congratulations on….

• Congratulations on your engagement! – ¡Felicitaciones por tu compromiso!

• Congratulations on your wedding! – ¡Felicitaciones por tu boda!

• Congratulations on the birth of your child! – ¡Felicitaciones por el nacimiento de tu hijo!

• Congratulations on graduating! – ¡Felicitaciones por tu graduación!

• Congratulations on your new job! – ¡Felicitaciones por tu nuevo trabajo!

For birthdays, we have a few specific expressions:

• Happy birthday! – ¡Feliz cumpleaños!

• I wish you the best. – Te deseo lo mejor.

• My very best wishes. – Mis mejores deseos.

• May you live for many more years! – ¡Que cumplas muchos años más!

How to Respond to Compliments in Spanish

When someone gives you a compliment, it’s important to respond in the right way. First of all, remember just to smile, accepting the compliment with the best attitude. Don’t try to avoid the compliment to make it seem like you don’t think what they’re telling you is accurate. Go along with it and thank them.

Sometimes the compliment is even accompanied with a physical gesture, like a pat on the back or the shoulder. You can always do the same gesture as you accept the compliment, establishing a certain trust between both sides.

The most basic response would just be to say thank you: gracias. You can even say muchas gracias: thank you so much.

If you want to return the same compliment, along the lines of you too, there are a few options. Let’s see these in some examples:

• You are so nice. / So are you. – Eres muy agradable. / Tú igual.

• Your watch is so elegant. / Thank you so much, your watch is too! – Tú reloj es muy elegante. / Muchas gracias, ¡tu reloj también lo es!

• Your purse is so pretty. / Thank you so much, so is yours! – Tu bolso es tan bonito. / ¡Muchas gracias, también el tuyo!

Here are some other general responses to compliments in Spanish:

• Thank you! That makes me feel so good. – ¡Gracias! Eso me hace sentir muy bien.

• You’re so kind, thank you! – Eres muy amable, ¡gracias!

• That made my day, thank you so much. – Eso me hizo el día, muchas gracias.

• Thank you, that makes me happy to hear. – Gracias, me alegra escuchar eso.

• Thank you, it is good to know you liked my job! – Gracias, ¡es bueno saber que te gustó mi trabajo!

• Thank you for noticing! – ¡Gracias por notarlo!

• Thank you, I worked hard on it. – Gracias, trabajé duro en ello.

• Thank you, you look great too! – Gracias, ¡tú también te ves muy bien!

Conclusion

With that, you’ve learned over 100 ways to give compliments in Spanish. You’ve done a great job! – ¡Hiciste un buen trabajo! Not only can you recognize the majority of compliments and respond to them, you’re ready to give compliments in Spanish yourself, which is even cooler. You’re awesome! – ¡Eres impresionante!