How do you say “A sight for sore eyes” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is ¡Qué alegría verte!, which literally means “What a joy to see you!”. English speakers use a sight for sore eyes to mean someone or something you are very pleased or relieved to see. A warm Spanish greeting when you are delighted to see someone. For a welcome sight, replace “verte” with “ver” and name what you see. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
¡Qué alegría verte!
/ke aleˈɣɾia ˈβeɾte/
- Literal meaning
- “What a joy to see you!”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
86 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Use “verte” when speaking to the person: “¡Qué alegría verte!” The warmth matters more than reproducing the English sore-eyes image.
For a welcome object or place, name it after “ver”. This also works when relief, rather than beauty, makes the sight special.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context3 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I’d been waiting in the rain, so you and your car were a sight for sore eyes.
Spanish
Después de esperar bajo la lluvia, ¡qué alegría verte llegar con el coche!
English
Those lights were a sight for sore eyes after hours on the dark road.
Spanish
Qué alegría ver esas luces después de horas por la carretera oscura.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13