做得好
zou6 dak1 hou2
做得好 (zou6 dak1 hou2) is the Cantonese way to say "good job".
做得好 is used to praise someone for a job well done or for their efforts. While it is a direct way to say "good job", it is often used as a specific compliment for a completed task rather than just a general exclamation of encouragement.
Meaning: a phrase used to praise for a good job or efforts (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb 做 (to do), the particle 得 (which indicates the manner or result) and the adjective 好 (good).
Which one should you use?
While 做得好 means "done well", you may also hear the alternative 做得唔錯 (zou6 dak1 m4 co3), which literally means "did not bad" and is a common way to express praise.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle 得 is used to link the verb to an adverbial complement that describes how the action was performed.
How do you pronounce it?
zou6 dak1 hou2
Did you know?
- If you want to sound like a native, you might use 好叻 (hou2 lek1) instead. While 做得好 focuses on the task, 好叻 translates to 'very clever' or 'very skillful' and is a much more common way to tell someone they did a great job.
- When praising a child, parents often use the phrase 乖 (gwaai1), which means 'obedient' or 'well-behaved', rather than praising the quality of the work with 做得好.
- In professional settings, using 做得好 can sometimes sound overly direct or even condescending, like a teacher praising a child. To show more respect to a superior or elder, people often prefer to praise the result or the effort rather than using a direct 'good job' command.
Examples in context
- 你做得好好。You did a good job.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 做得好 to say someone did a good job.Tatoeba #5777471 by nickyeow, translation #707269 by CM
- 做得好！Good job!This sentence is useful for using 做得好 as an exclamation for "Good job!"Tatoeba #7988292 by nickyeow, translation #1021038 by Quazel
- 呢次真係做得好。ni1 ci3 zan1 hai6 zou6 dak1 hou2.You really did a good job this time.
Example conversation
A manager praising an employee in the office.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting家明，你今次做得好。gaa1 ming4, nei5 kam1 ci3 zou6 dak1 hou2.Ka Ming, you did a good job this time.
- 家明 Ka Ming多謝雅婷嘅鼓勵。do1 ze6 ngaa5 ting4 ge3 gud1 lai6.Thank you for the encouragement, Ting.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting繼續保持。gai3 zuk6 bou2 ci4.Keep it up.
- 家明 Ka Ming我會努力嘅。ngo5 wui5 nou5 lik6 ge3.I will work hard.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
