guay
cool / awesome / great
Beginner Adjective
🔊
Pronunciation
/ɡwai/
💡
Cultural Note
Spain's standard 'cool.' Invariable in gender and number — it's always just 'guay.' Where Latin Americans have a dozen regional words for 'cool' (chido, bacán, chévere, piola...), Spain primarily uses 'guay.' Some say it comes from English 'why' (as in 'that's the reason'), others from Caló. It's been around since at least the 1980s and shows no signs of fading. 'Guay del Paraguay' is a playful rhyming extension that means 'super cool.' Younger Spaniards might also say 'guay de la muerte' for emphasis.
📝 Example Sentences
¡Qué guay, nos vamos de vacaciones a la playa!
How cool, we're going on vacation to the beach!
Tu mochila nueva es muy guay.
Your new backpack is really cool.
📊 Adjective Forms
| Gender | Form |
|---|---|
| feminine | guay |
| masculine | guay |
| feminine_plural | guays |
| masculine_plural | guays |