Using es bueno/malo or está bien/mal in Spanish

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish

One of the most common difficulties for Spanish learners is how to differenciate between: es bueno/malo and está bien/mal.

Es bueno = it is good

Es bueno que estudies todas las tardes.It is good that you study every afternoon.

Comes demasiado y eso no es bueno.You eat too much and that is not good.

Está bien  = it is good

Está bien que estudies todas las tardes.It is good that you study every afternoon.

Comes demasiado y eso no está bien.You eat too much and that is not good.

As you can see, both are translated in the same way. But remember not to mix them up:
 

Es bueno [adjective]
Está bien [adverb]

Have a look:

Está bueno que seas paciente con tus hermanos.
Es bueno que seas paciente con tus hermanos.
It is good that you are patient with your siblings.


Es bien que practiques español para tu exámen.
Está bien que practiques español para tu exámen.
It is good that you practise Spanish for your exam.

The same goes for es malo and está mal.

Es malo = it is bad

Es malo que tomemos tanto alcohol.It is bad that we drink so much alcohol.

Fumar es malo.Smoking is bad.

Está mal = it is bad/wrong

Está mal que tomemos tanto alcohol.It's bad/wrong that we drink so much alcohol.

Fumar está mal.Smoking is bad/wrong.

Es + malo [adjective]
Está mal [adverb] 

Bear in mind that although they are very often interchangeable (está bien = es bueno / está mal = es malo), when we use está bien/mal we are adding a nuance of being "morally" good or bad. For example:

Está mal arrojar basura al mar.
It is (morally) wrong to throw rubbish in the sea.

If we are talking about a film, a play, a book..., using está bien will imply that, more than being good quality, it is entertaining/amusing/interesting:

Tienes que ir a ver esa película; está muy bienYou have to go and see that film; it is very good/entertaining.

¿Está bien el libro que estás leyendo?Is the book you are reading good/interesting?

We don't tend to use está mal as much in this last context to express that something is not entertaining/interesting/amusing; we tend to say "no está bien" instead.

You will never find es followed by bien/malHowever, está can be followed by bueno/malo, but the meaning will be different. For example:

El arroz con leche de mi abuela está bueno.
My grandma's rice pudding is tasty.

Este niño está malo.
This boy is ill.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

¿Está bien el libro que estás leyendo?Is the book you are reading good/interesting?
Es bueno que estudies todas las tardes.It is good that you study every afternoon.
Comes demasiado y eso no es bueno.You eat too much and that is not good.
Está bien que estudies todas las tardes.It is good that you study every afternoon.
Comes demasiado y eso no está bien.You eat too much and that is not good.
Fumar es malo.Smoking is bad.
Es malo que tomemos tanto alcohol.It is bad that we drink so much alcohol.
Está mal que tomemos tanto alcohol.It's bad/wrong that we drink so much alcohol.
Fumar está mal.Smoking is bad/wrong.
Tienes que ir a ver esa película; está muy bienYou have to go and see that film; it is very good/entertaining.
Getting that for you now...