Spanish · Romance & Flirting
Estar buenote / buenota
ess-TAR bweh-NOH-teh · /es.ˈtaɾ bwe.ˈno.te/
To be hot / smoking
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"To be really good (augmentative)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Estar bueno/a" already means "to be hot," and the "-ote/-ota" cranks it up to "smoking." Said about someone (not to them, usually) among friends. It's appreciative but objectifying, so read the room — fine in gossip with buddies, creepy hollered on the street. Spain uses "estar bueno" and "estar cañón" the same way.
Heard in the wild
Oye, tu vecino nuevo está bien buenote.
Hey, your new neighbor is really hot.
Where it lands
Mexico; Spain uses 'estar bueno / estar cañón'
Quick answers
- What does "Estar buenote / buenota" mean?
- In Spanish, "Estar buenote / buenota" means "To be hot / smoking". Literally it's "To be really good (augmentative)". "Estar bueno/a" already means "to be hot," and the "-ote/-ota" cranks it up to "smoking." Said about someone (not to them, usually) among friends. It's appreciative but objectifying, so read the room — fine in gossip with buddies, creepy hollered on the street. Spain uses "estar bueno" and "estar cañón" the same way.
- Is "Estar buenote / buenota" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "Estar buenote / buenota"?
- Say it "ess-TAR bweh-NOH-teh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: es.ˈtaɾ bwe.ˈno.te.
Related in Spanish
Coger koh-HEHR To have sex (Mexico); to grab/catch (Spain) Ligar lee-GAR To flirt / to hook up / to pull Echar los perros eh-CHAR lohs PEH-rrohs To hit on someone / put the moves on Fajar fah-HAR To make out / heavy petting Mamacita mah-mah-SEE-tah Hottie / gorgeous (as an address) Poner los cuernos poh-NEHR lohs KWEHR-nohs To cheat on / two-time
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.