buona fortuna
The Italian phrase for "best of luck" is buona fortuna.
buona fortuna is a straightforward way to express wishes for success. Other ways to wish someone luck include the colloquial in bocca al lupo! and Che tu ce la faccia!, which means "may you make it!" You might also hear Auguri!, which translates to "best wishes" and is more common for birthdays or special celebrations.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buona fortuna is composed of the adjective buona (good) and the noun fortuna (luck).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
buona fortuna is more neutral and formal. In contrast, in bocca al lupo is a colloquial way to wish someone luck.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When someone uses the idiomatic in bocca al lupo, the standard response is crepi (short for crepi il lupo), rather than grazie. The response crepi or crepi il lupo means "may the wolf die".
When do people say it?
While buona fortuna! is direct, the idiomatic in bocca al lupo! (translates to "in the mouth of the wolf") is used to wish someone good luck. When someone says In bocca al lupo!, the usual response is crepi or crepi il lupo, which means "may the wolf die".
Did you know?
- In the theater world, the most common way to wish luck is not buona fortuna or in bocca al lupo but merda, which translates to 'shit'.
- The response crepi is used because wishing someone 'good luck' directly was historically thought to attract the attention of evil spirits who would then ruin the outcome.
- If you say grazie after being told in bocca al lupo, you might actually be seen as bringing bad luck to the person who wished you well.
Examples in context
- In bocca al lupo per l'esame!Best of luck with the exam!
- Buona fortuna per il tuo nuovo lavoro!Best of luck with your new job!
- Ti auguro buona fortuna per l'esame.I wish you best of luck for the exam.
- Buona fortuna con il tuo progetto!Best of luck with your project!
Example conversation
Francesco is about to start a big race.
- ChiaraFrancesco, buona fortuna per la gara!Francesco, best of luck for the race!
- FrancescoGrazie mille, Chiara!Thanks a lot, Chiara!
- ChiaraCorri forte!Run hard!
- FrancescoFarò del mio meglio.I will do my best.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buona fortuna, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
