There are many ways to tell a woman she is beautiful in Spanish. However, some phrases are considered slang, and some refer to women as being “girls” or “cute,” which could offend some grown women. Thus, it’s important to know the difference!
1
Say “hermosa mujer.” This means “beautiful woman” in Spanish. To say “beautiful girl,” you would say "niña hermosa."
• The phrase is pronounced “ehr-moh-sah moo-hehr.” In Spanish, the “h” is not pronounced like an English hard “h.” The ending “hehr” does not have a hard “r” sound like it would in English. Niña is pronounced "nee-nyah."[1]
• Another way to say this phrase, especially in Spain, is “eres hermosa,” which means “you’re very beautiful." You can also say “eres preciosa” for "you’re beautiful" or "eres atractiva," for "you’re good looking." Eres is pronounced "eh-rehs" with a long "a" sound.
2
Say “estás bella” or "eres bella." This also means “you’re beautiful” in Spanish. Another way to say this is “estás hermosa.” If you want to really emphasize it, say “you are so beautiful” by saying “eres muy hermosa” or "estás muy hermosa." [4]
• It’s pronounced “es-tas bay-ah.” The “ll” in Spanish does not have a hard “L” sound like it would in English. That’s the key to not mispronouncing the word “bella,” which, literally, means “beautiful.”[5]
• To say “hello beautiful lady,” you would say, “hola señora Hermosa.” This phrase is pronounced “oh-lah seh-neeoh-rah er-moh-sa” and would be used toward an older woman.[6]
3
Study pronunciation of Spanish consonants and vowels. They can be very different from English. For example, the "h" is silent in Spanish.[7]
• The Internet allows you to listen to audio pronunciation of Spanish. This can be the best way to practice the sounds of Spanish so that people will know what you are talking about.[8]
• Trill your “Rs.” Say the English word “butter.” That will give you a good start about how your mouth should be positioned to roll or trill an R.[9] Put the tip of your tongue behind the top row of your teeth against the ridge of your mouth.This is called the “alveolar.”Then, vibrate your tongue against that ridge.
