01 · The size word that means "tiny," not just "small"
Está bien chiquito.
It's tiny. (Mexico)
Pequeño is correct. Chiquito is what you actually say when something's small and you want to sound warm about it.
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Descríbelo
Big or small, new or broken, cheap or expensive — say it out loud.
Spanish adjectives come after the noun and agree with it: la casa grande, el coche rojo — and it's la casa bonita, never bonito. Learn them in opposite pairs so each one recalls the other: grande/pequeño, nuevo/viejo, limpio/sucio, caro/barato, fácil/difícil. One trap to dodge early: caliente is for things you touch — hot weather is hace calor.
Below: the adjectives lesson by lesson, what locals really say when something is great or wrecked, the agreement slips to avoid — and a way to use every pair out loud in real conversation, no drills, no fill-in-the-blanks.
The warm-up pack
Bigger than 'bueno', worse than 'malo' — the descriptions people actually reach for.
01 · The size word that means "tiny," not just "small"
Está bien chiquito.
It's tiny. (Mexico)
Pequeño is correct. Chiquito is what you actually say when something's small and you want to sound warm about it.
02 · The intensifier that beats 'muy'
Es re grande.
It's really big. (Argentina)
Re- stuck onto any adjective is Argentina's all-purpose intensifier — no need to reach for muy.
03 · Past 'roto'
Está hecho garras.
It's totally wrecked. (Mexico)
Roto covers a crack. Hecho garras is for something torn to pieces — a stronger word for a stronger mess.
04 · Not the textbook 'sucio'
Está embarrado.
It's covered in mud / filthy. (Colombia)
Literally "muddied" — reach for this instead of sucio when something's really, properly dirty.
05 · How Mexico says 'great'
Está bien chido.
It's great / cool. (Mexico)
Bueno is fine anywhere. Chido is what actually gets said when something's genuinely good.
06 · Chile's strongest compliment
Está la raja.
It's amazing. (Chile, informal)
Bueno covers polite approval. This is Chile's way of saying something's the best — save it for when you mean it.
07 · Colombia and Venezuela's 'cool'
Está chévere.
It's cool. (Colombia/Venezuela)
One of the most recognizable words in Caribbean Spanish — you'll hear it constantly once you're listening for it.
08 · When frío doesn't cut it
Hace un frío que pela.
It's freezing. (Pan-Latin America)
Frío states a fact. This phrase makes you feel the cold — pull it out when it's genuinely brutal outside.
09 · Weather that's actually punishing
Está achicharrando.
It's scorching. (Caribbean)
Caliente describes a cup of coffee. This is for weather that's actually punishing you.
10 · When difícil isn't strong enough
Está cañón.
It's really tough. (Mexico)
Difícil is neutral. Cañón adds the frustration — say it when something's genuinely giving you trouble.
11 · Said with a shrug
Está suave.
It's no problem, easy. (Caribbean)
Fácil states the fact. Suave says it like it's nothing to worry about.
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First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/describeloRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| it's really good / cool | está padre | está bárbaro |
| it's completely broken | está hecho garras | hecho pelota |
| it's really difficult | está cañón | está jodido |
| super fast | volado | al toque |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
There are no drills in the Descríbelo lessons and nothing to fill in — you describe real things to Olivia, out loud: a lost bag at a hotel desk (how big, what color, what condition), the market stall where you want the big one and not the small one — grande, no pequeño — and your new apartment, room by room: old or new, hot or cold. She answers back, and the endings settle in because you keep saying them.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Descríbelo is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
After, almost always: la casa grande, el coche rojo. Putting them first, English-style, is the classic beginner giveaway.
Textbook: bueno or bonito. Locals: está padre or está bien chido in Mexico, está bárbaro or está re copado in Argentina, está chévere or bacano in Colombia and Venezuela.
Caliente describes an object's temperature — something you could touch. Hot weather is hace calor. Mixing them up is one of the most common A1 slips.
Caro and barato. Locals add color: una ganga is a real bargain, and something outrageously priced is un robo — a robbery.
Match the ending to the noun's gender and number: -o for masculine, -a for feminine, plus -s in the plural. So it's la casa bonita, never la casa bonito.