bien

Etymology

From Latin bene (“well”).

Adverb

bien

1. well

Noun

bien c

1. singular definite of bi

Etymology

From Middle French bien, from Old French bien, from Latin bene (“well”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bjɛ̃/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -jɛ̃

Adjective

bien (comparative meilleur, superlative le meilleur)

1. good, all right, great
2. good looking, nice

Adverb

bien (comparative mieux, superlative le mieux)

1. well
2. indeed; so

   Bien, on peut partir maintenant ?

   So, can we leave now?

3. (+ de, des, du) a lot of

   Macy Gray a traversé bien des épreuves.

   Macy Gray got through a lot of ordeals.

4. (colloquial) really (used as an intensifier)
   • Il est bien moche, ce type

     He's really ugly, that guy

Noun

bien m (plural biens)

1. good as opposed to evil
2. a commodity, a good
3. a possession

Further reading

• “bien” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• béni

Romanization

bien

1. Rōmaji transcription of びえん

Adverb

bien (Latin spelling)

1. well

Etymology

From Old French bien.

Adverb

bien

1. well (in a positive way; in a way that meets or exceeds expectations)

References

• bien on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) (in French)
• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (bien, supplement)

Alternative forms

• bia

Noun

bien m, f

1. definite masculine singular of bie

Alternative forms

• ben

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bjẽn/
• Rhymes: -ẽn

Adverb

bien (comparative and superlative mielz or miex)

1. well
   • circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     "Oïl, mout m'an sovient il bien.
     Seneschaus, savez vos an rien?

     Yes, I remember it well
     Seneschal, do you know anything about it?

2. indeed (used for emphasis)

Noun

bien m (oblique plural biens, nominative singular biens, nominative plural bien)

1. possession; object of value
2. good (as opposed to evil)

Etymology

From Old Spanish, from Latin bene (“well”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bjen/, [bjẽn]

• Audio (Latin America)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -en

Adverb

bien

1. well
2. properly
3. willingly
4. very

Adjective

bien (plural bienes)

1. (postpositive, colloquial) well-to-do; affluent; wealthy; upper-class

   Amanda y Carlos vienen de una familia bien.

   Amanda and Carlos come from a well-to-do family.

2. (postpositive, colloquial) exclusive; upscale; high-class

   Las colonias bienes están en las afueras de la ciudad.

   The upscale neighborhoods are in the city suburbs.

Noun

bien m (plural bienes)

1. good (as opposed to evil)
2. goodness
3. welfare, benefit
4. (plural) goods, property, possessions, assets, wealth, estate

Related terms

• benefacer
• bienhechor
• buen, bueno

Noun

bien (plural biens)

1. bee