Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 잘 했어요 | jal haesseoyo |
| 수고하셨어요 | sugohasyeosseoyo |
These phrases are used to praise someone's efforts or the quality of their work. Use 잘 했어요 when you want to focus on the fact that someone did a task well. Use 수고하셨어요 when you want to acknowledge the effort or hard work someone put into a task, often as a way to say goodbye to colleagues or thank them for completing a job.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 잘 했어요 is composed of 잘 (well) and 했어요 (did).
Which one should you use?
잘 했어요 focuses on the quality of the result (did well), whereas 수고하셨어요 focuses on acknowledging the person's labor or effort (worked hard/good job).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a casual version of 잘 했어요 to use with friends or subordinates, use 잘 했어. For a casual version of 수고하셨어요 to use with friends or subordinates, use 수고했어. In professional or academic contexts, the formal version 잘했습니다 means "you did well," and the formal version 수고하셨습니다 means "you have worked hard."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 잘 했어요 uses the past tense to describe an action that has already been completed successfully.
How do you pronounce it?
jal haesseoyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful when using 수고하셨습니다 or 수고하셨어요 toward a much higher-ranking superior. Because these phrases can sometimes imply you are evaluating their labor, it is safer in very formal settings to use phrases that express gratitude for their guidance.
Did you know?
- The word 수고 in 수고하셨어요 literally refers to 'hardship' or 'suffering'. When you use it, you are essentially acknowledging that someone has endured some form of physical or mental toil.
- The word 잘 is of native Korean origin.
- The expression 수고했어 is often used by elders or teachers to juniors. It is a way of acknowledging a subordinate's labor, making it a phrase that clearly marks social status.
Examples in context
- 재현 씨, 수고하셨습니다Jaehyun, you have worked hard.
- 수영을 잘 했어You swam well
- 정말 잘 했어요.jeongmal jal haesseoyo.You really did a good job.
- 발표를 아주 잘 했어요.balpyoreul aju jal haesseoyo.You did a very good job on the presentation.
Example conversation
Subin praises Dohyun after he finishes a project.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 정말 잘 했어요.Dohyeon ssi, jeongmal jal haesseoyo.Dohyun, you really did a good job.
- 도현 Do-hyeon감사합니다, 수빈 씨.Gamsahamnida, Subin ssi.Thank you, Subin.
- 수빈 Su-bin고생 많았어요.Gosaeng manasseoyo.You worked hard.
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 다행이에요.Ne, dahaengieyo.Yes, I'm glad (it went well).
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good job” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
