How to Compliment Someone in Spanish

Learning how to compliment someone in Spanish is a great skill, underestimated by some learners.

Compliments can be very important and can have a great influence on friendship, on a business or romantic relationship – of course, if you give them at an appropriate time and use the correct language.

It can also be quite important to be able to understand when someone is complimenting you and respond accordingly.

Sometimes you can make a person’s day just by saying a few right words. 

It is crucial to remember that for compliments to be truly flattering they need to be sincere.

The most beautiful compliment in Spanish and any other language are those that come from the heart.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the most common compliments in Spanish and their meanings. 

Learn how to compliment someone in Spanish with native speakers

Before we go on with the compliments themselves, I’d like to point out one of the best ways of learning Spanish in general and compliments in Spanish in particular. 

No matter how far modern technology goes and no matter the great apps we already have, nothing can beat learning Spanish with a great teacher.

A great teacher will be able to adapt to your particular learning needs, answer all the questions you have, provide feedback on any exercises and practice you do.

They will also be able to give cultural comments – for instance, what compliments in Spanish are appropriate in what situations. 

You can find great teachers online at LiveLingua or Italki. This is how I learn languages, too!

On these websites, you can find Spanish teachers from different countries, book lessons at any time convenient to you, and not overpay. The average lesson price is 9-15$.

Spanish compliments for her

Learning how to compliment someone in Spanish usually starts with compliments about looks, which is usually okay in Spanish-speaking countries.

These compliments can be used when someone is flirting or just to compliment someone’s appearance – pay attention to non-verbal signals if you want to be sure if the person is flirting or not.

There are many ways to tell a woman she looks beautiful:

Eres tan hermosa. — You are so beautiful
¡Qué guapa! ¡Qué bonita! ¡Qué linda! — How pretty!
¡Te ves guapa! — You look pretty!
Wow, estás guapísima hoy! — Wow, you look super pretty today!
Te ves preciosa. — You look gorgeous. 
Te ves estupenda. — You look amazing.
Normalmente eres guapa… ¡Pero es que hoy estás preciosa! Usually, you look beautiful but today you look gorgeous!
Eres un tesoro  — You are a treasure
Tu sonrisa es hermosa.  — Your smile is beautiful.

Spanish compliments for him

Some compliments in Spanish for him are quite similar to the compliments for her, but be careful and use the right gender.

¡Qué lindo! — How lovely! How cute!
¡Qué guapo! — How handsome!
Eres guapo. — You are handsome.
¡Qué elegante! — How elegant!
Te ves guapo. — You look handsome.
Te ves estupendo. — You look amazing.

Spanish compliments for friends

Learning how to compliment someone in Spanish is not only about flirting or complimenting someone’s appearance, though.

There are a lot of ‘gender-neutral’ compliments that you can use to compliment your Spanish-speaking friends in different situations.

¡Buen trabajo! — Good job!
¡Eres listo/a! — You are smart! (masculine/feminine)
Eres un amigo (una amiga) increíble. — You are an awesome friend. (masculine/feminine)
Tienes un gran sentido del humor. — You have a good sense of humor.
Tienes una habilidad con las palabras. — You have a way with words. 
Eres divertido/a. — You are fun. (masculine/feminine)
Esa chaqueta se ve bien en ti.—That jacket looks nice on you
Eres dulce. — You are sweet.
Eres un tesoro. — You are a treasure. 
Eres buena gente.  You are a good person.
Creo en ti. — I believe in you.
Tu presencia es agradable. — I like being around you.
Me gusta tu estilo. — I like sur style.
Estoy orgulloso/a de ti. — I am proud of you. (masculine/feminine)
Te queda bien. — That suits you well. 
Muy amable. — You are very kind.

You’ll find some more fun expressions there that are bound to impress your friends.

Accepting compliments in Spanish

When you learn how to compliment someone in Spanish, it is also important to learn how to respond appropriately and accept compliments. 

Very often, a simple Gracias (thank you) or Gracias por el cumplido (thank you for the compliment) is enough.

But pay attention to your intonation and non-verbal signals when you say it!

If you say Gracias too dryly, without a smile, the person complimenting you may feel that the compliment is unwelcome.

Do not do it, unless you really want to show that the compliment made you feel uncomfortable.

Saying Gracias warmly and with a smile will show that you are flattered.  

Here are some other ways you can respond when someone compliments you in Spanish:

Es muy amable. — That’s very kind.
(Gracias), tú también. — (Thanks), you too.
Lo aprecio mucho. — I really appreciate it.

By the way, correct responses are important in other situations, too. Do you know how to respond to greetings in Spanish?

Cheesy compliments in Spanish

If you want to impress your date, you can try some of the Spanish pick up lines below.

They will sound very entertaining, however, you should be careful using them as they can sound insincere.

Eres como una estrella, tan bella para admirarla y tan lejana para tocarla. — You’re like a star, so beatiful to admire and so far to touch.

Si el agua fuera belleza tú serías el mar entero. — If beauty were water, you would be the entire ocean

Quisiera preguntarte ¿cómo era el cielo cuando te caíste de el?I wanted to ask you, how was heaven when you fell from it?

Tu papa debe de ser pirata, porque tu eres un tesoro! Your dad must be a pirate, because you are a treasure!

Como se siente al ser la chica mas guapa en esta habitación?What does it feel like to be the prettiest girl in the room?

It’s probably best not to use any lines from this list on someone whose heart you really want to win.
Be charming and honest, but never be corny.

A list of Spanish praise words

If you are at a loss on how to compliment someone in Spanish properly or want to add to your compliment, you can use these positive adjectives to show your appreciation of a person or their actions.

aventurero/aadventurous
cariñoso/aaffectionate
atractivo/aattractive
alegrecheerful
seguro/aconfident
eleganteelegant
simpático/afriendly
divertido/afun
gracioso/afunny
en buena formain good shape
independienteindependent
inteligenteintelligent
interesanteinteresting
tranquilo/acalm, laid back
amablenice
abierto/aopen
listo/asmart
dulcesweet

Here are some praise words you can use as well when someone does something really well:

¡Bravo! Bravo!
¡Excelente!Excellent!
¡Fantástico!Fantastic!
¡Enhorabuena!Congratulations!
¡Buen trabajo!Good job!
¡Bien hecho! Well done!

Food compliments in Spanish

Ah, of course, the food. No list of compliments in Spanish would be complete without these ways to compliment someone’s cooking or the food in a restaurant in Spanish.

If you are a foodie, you absolutely must learn these!

Me encanta tu comida. I love your cooking.
Esta comida esta buena.This food is good.
La comida es rica. The food is delicious.
¡Qué rica comida!What delicious food!
La comida estaba deliciosa.The food was delicious.
Para chuparse los dedos! It tastes great! (Literally: it makes me want to lick my fingers)

Additional materials to help you learn compliments in Spanish

To supplement working with a teacher, you can use flashcard apps – they will allow you to make learning vocabulary much more efficient and memorize all the compliments in Spanish in no time. 

Another great way to add to your lessons with a tutor and learn how to compliment someone in Spanish more effectively is to watch Spanish lessons on YouTube. You will see short fun videos with some great advice and great examples of Spanish compliments.

Final thoughts

Now you know how to compliment someone on their appearance (and maybe flirt a little), give compliments to your friends, praise someone’s cooking, and respond to compliments yourself. Isn’t that great? 

Practice these words by yourself – use flashcards, say the words out loud, compliment your pet – before using them in your speech. It will allow you to get used to saying the words and avoid making mistakes in the future.

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