60 Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction
This chapter deals with the concepts of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and examines
the ways in which Spanish normally expresses them.60.1 Expressing satisfaction
60.1.1 Set phrases
To express satisfaction, Spanish uses a range of expressions, of which the most common
are
¡Eso es! That’s it!
¡Estupendo! Great!
¡Es estupendo/a! It’s great!
Esto/eso está bien. This/that is fine.
Me gusta/n. I like it/them.
Es justamente lo que It’s just what
quiero/quería I want(ed).
busco/buscaba I am/was looking for.
necesito/necesitaba. I need(ed).
Me parece bien. I think it’s fine.
No está mal. It’s not bad.
Estoy satisfecho/a de... I’m satisfied with...
Me satisface plenamente. I’m completely satisfied.
Siento una gran satisfacción. I feel great satisfaction.
With the exception of¡eso es!, ‘that’s it’ and¡estupendo!‘great!’, these are not fixed
expressions, but they may vary according to the context or the degree of satisfaction
that we wish to express. Thus, we may shorten them, or expand them, using noun
phrases or intensifiers (i.e. words like muy, ‘very’ bastante, ‘quite’) for example,
or we can substitute words with others of similar meaning, or even combine two
or more expressions so as to express a greater degree of satisfaction. Here are some
examples:
Me gusta mucho. Es exactamente lo que me hacía falta.
I like it very much. It’s exactly what I needed.
¡Eso es! Es justo lo que busco. ¡Estupendo!
That’s it! That’s just what I’m looking for. Great!